Czechia’s lower house will convene for an extraordinary meeting on March 5 to discuss the lifting of parliamentary immunity for Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Speaker Tomio Okamura, head of the far-right SPD, a junior coalition partner. The debate will first focus on whether or not the PM, who along with his former advisor and MEP Jana Nagyova is facing accusations of subsidy fraud in the long-running Stork’s Nest case, should face criminal proceedings in court. In the never-ending judicial affair that has spanned four terms of government, MPs already voted twice in favour of lifting his immunity in 2017 and 2018. Babis was acquitted twice in the case but saw the latest judgement overturned by a Prague appeals court in summer 2025. Accused of illegally obtaining some 2 million euros in subsidies meant for small and medium-sized companies, the PM has repeatedly described the case as a political witch hunt. Okamura, for his part, is facing charges of inciting hatred in connection with his party’s campaign posters two years ago containing racist and xenophobic overtones, allegations he denies while invoking freedom of speech. Earlier this month, the Chamber of Deputies’ Mandate and Immunity Committee advised against the plenary – where the three-party ruling coalition of ANO, SPD and the Motorists hold a comfortable majority – complying with the court’s request to transfer the pair for criminal prosecution. Opposition parties have accused Babis and his coalition allies of forming a pact to protect one another from possible prosecution following October’s parliamentary election, when both leaders automatically regained their immunity.
According to the revised state budget, now under discussion in parliamentary committees, the Defence Ministry would see its 2026 budget reduced by about 21 billion crowns from the previous government’s plans to spend 156 billion crowns (about 6.5 billion euros). Corresponding to just 2.07 per cent of GDP when taking into account defence-related spending from other ministries, this level could put Czechia at the bottom of NATO countries’ ranking in terms of relative defence expenditures. Defence Minister Jaromir Zuna – a non-partisan nominee for the Russia-friendly, anti-NATO SPD party – assured the reduction was only “transitional” and would not affect planned modernisation and armament goals, and that defence expenditure would rise in the next few years to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP in 2028. In a Thursday interview with Denik.cz, Prime Minister Babis flouted the Czech Republic will not try to reach the 3.5 per cent of GDP defence target set by NATO allies last year for 2035, saying his government’s priority “is the health of our fellow citizens, so that they live long”. “In order for citizens to live long, we should first and foremost take care of our security”, hit back former PM Fiala. Other opposition MPs criticised the cuts, saying they were bound to undermine Czechia’s defence capabilities at a time of extreme geopolitical uncertainty, belittle Prague’s voice among NATO allies and jeopardise relations with the US administration. Top defence officials also warned this was going in the wrong direction. “The era of carelessness and the illusion that security is free is over,” warned Chief of the General Staff Karel Rehka. “Yes, defence and security are expensive. But without them, there is no prosperity or anything else.” Meanwhile, the latest research from the Centre for Public Opinion found that more than half of respondents do not believe Czechia would be able to defend itself in the event of a conflict.