BBC World Questions came to the Czech Republic at a critical time in the country’s future. Andrej Babis - the billionaire businessman who leads the centrist ANO movement - won October's ballot, but his minority government failed to win a mandatory confidence vote in Parliament and had to resign. Czech President Milos Zeman asked Babis to try again to form a new government. But Babis' negotiations have thus far failed to create a coalition. Some parliamentary parties are reluctant to govern with Babis due to fraud charges he faces.
At this tumultuous time in Czech politics, BBC World Service Radio and the British Council hosted a debate in the heart of the capital, Prague. BBC presenter Allan Little and four leading Czech politicians and commentators discussed, in English, the political landscape, the economy and the Czech Republic’s relationship with the EU in front of a large audience.
The panel included:
- Adam Vojtěch - Minister of Health
- Josef Skála - Communist Party
- Silvie Lauder - Journalist from weekly news magazine Respekt
- Tomáš Jirsa - PR consultant and political commentator
The programme was recorded at Archa Theatre on 9 May 2018 and is now available online.
BBC World Questions is a series of events delivered in partnership with the British Council. As a cultural relations and educational organisation and partner of the BBC World Service, the British Council helps to enable a platform where the general public can join a democratic debate on a global forum.
BBC World Service delivers news content around the world in English and 28 other language services, on radio, TV and digital, reaching a weekly audience of 246 million. As part of BBC World Service , BBC Learning English teaches English to global audiences. The BBC attracts a weekly global news audience of 320 million people to its international news services including BBC World Service, BBC World News television channel and bbc.com/news.