Czech president says he’s fit to serve for 2 more years after month-long ICU stay

Czech President Milos Zeman has vowed to serve until the end of his term in 2023, despite spending nearly a month in intensive care with an undisclosed diagnosis, as senators consider declaring him unfit for office.

On Friday, Zeman said in an interview aired on Frekvence 1 that he was well and capable of seeing out his presidential mandate, which runs until the end of 2023. The announcement came just one day after he left his intensive care unit for a rehabilitation ward.  

The president also announced that he had no problem with appointing opposition leader Petr Fiala as the new prime minister. “I believe that there will be no problem there, you know why? Because Andrej Babis, whom I just spoke to a little while ago on the telephone, does not have interest in being prime minister, as nobody is willing to negotiate with him,” he said.

Zeman had previously noted that he would give the first chance to form a government to the strongest individual party, which is that of outgoing Prime Minister Andrej Babis. Under the constitution, the president can appoint a candidate of his choosing. 

Zeman was speaking in his first public remarks since the country’s parliamentary election on October 8-9. 

He had been rushed to the Prague Central Military Hospital a day after the election. On Thursday, officials at the hospital said that Zeman had been transferred to a rehabilitation unit.   

His condition has not been disclosed, although Czech media have suggested the 77-year-old is suffering a liver problem. 

The president was also rushed to hospital in September. He is known to have various health conditions, including diabetes, and was a heavy smoker and drinker. When visiting a cigarette factory in 2013, he announced that it was safe for people to start smoking later on in life. 

Zeman’s chief of staff, Vratislav Mynar, was placed under investigation for not informing parliament about the seriousness of his boss’s condition. Senators were considering declaring the president unfit for office. 

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