Zeman asks Babiš to wait for the investigation regarding the dismissal of Staněk

Prague/Brno - President Miloš Zeman suggested to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) to wait with the dismissal of Minister of Culture Antonín Staněk (ČSSD) until the results of the investigation into the criminal complaint that the minister filed are available. Zeman wrote this to Babiš after Tuesday's rejection of Staňků's resignation. Babiš is expected to meet with ČSSD leader Jan Hamáček on Thursday regarding the next steps, who has already formally requested Staňk's dismissal. He also wants to speak with Michal Šmarda (ČSSD), whom Hamáček wants as Staňk's successor. This surprised the Prime Minister, as Šmarda was against the entry of ČSSD into the government with ANO. Staňek intends to continue preparing the tender for the director of the National Gallery in Prague.

Zeman justified the rejection of Staňků's resignation by stating that the minister uncovered in his department "serious economic discrepancies" and should not be punished for these revelations. "For the next steps, I recommend waiting for the results of the criminal complaint that Docent Staněk filed regarding embezzlement in his department," the president wrote to Babiš.

The minister filed a criminal complaint against former director of the National Gallery in Prague Jiří Fajt, as well as against two former directors of the Museum of Art in Olomouc, Michal Soukup and his predecessor Pavel Zatloukal. However, Babiš only spoke about the criminal complaint against Fajt today before reporters. The president wrote to him that Staněk did nothing wrong, exposing alleged practices that are in violation of the laws and filed a criminal complaint. "Simply put, the National Gallery did not operate transparently, and that is the reason why the president rejected the resignation," Babiš said. The police are investigating the criminal complaint.

Babiš confirmed that in accordance with the coalition agreement, he would ask the president to dismiss Staňk. He wants to meet with Hamáček and Šmarda, whose nomination he described as unusual. "Mr. Šmarda was fundamentally against the entry of ČSSD into the government, so I am surprised that he is nominated for the government. He expressed himself very negatively towards the government of ČSSD with the ANO movement, so I will definitely be interested in meeting with him and hearing what he thinks about the government," Babiš told reporters today.

In mid-month, Staňk announced that he would resign by the end of May after facing criticism from part of the expert public and politicians for the dismissal of Fajt and Soukup. In his resignation letter, however, he stated that he was doing so at Hamáček's request. Staňk today told Radio Frekvence 1 that the president appreciated his work by rejecting the resignation. Now, according to Staňk, the next steps are up to others, and he himself will continue to work at the ministry as long as he can. "I am working on the task that I was given, namely the preparation of the tender for the director of the National Gallery in Prague," he told the radio. The minister had previously promised to establish a professional council by the end of May and to announce a public competition by the end of June.

Vice-chairman of the ČSSD and mayor of Nové Město na Moravě Šmarda perceives his potential participation in the government of ČSSD and ANO as an opportunity to try to promote the party program and calm disputes in culture. However, he does not want his name to deepen the conflicts any further. Politics is not black and white, he responded to Babiš's criticism. In the party referendum on ČSSD's participation in the government alongside ANO, the local organization in Nové Město na Moravě was against it. In Vysočina, however, it was in the minority.

"Mr. Babiš perceives everything emotionally and personally. Politics is not so simple that it can be divided into people who love the leader and those who hate the leader. I cannot perceive it that way," he stated. He is considering participation in the government to try to calm disputes in culture. He does not want his name to deepen the "senseless war." "If my name were to be the reason for continuing the conflicts surrounding culture, I would rather have someone else step forward. On the other hand, it would not be good for this to continue indefinitely, with Mr. Hamáček carrying names and Mr. Babiš digging through their biographies and examining whether they have ever spoken out against him," Šmarda told ČTK.

If Šmarda becomes the Minister of Culture, according to critics, his predecessor should urgently initiate meetings with experts. They should identify possible changes in the structure of management at the National Gallery in Prague and also express their opinions on the format of the selection process for the directors of NGP and the Museum of Art in Olomouc. "We consider Michal Šmarda's previous statements to be fortunate; it is essential to calm the situation and initiate transparent discussions with the expert public, respectively to listen to their views," said the initiators of the petition today, which requested Staňk to negotiate after the dismissal of the heads of two significant cultural institutions and urged him to quickly hold a competition for their successors.