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October 10, 2021Czech President Milos Zeman was hospitalized in intensive care the day after the parliamentary elections, at a time when he plays a key role in forming a new government. The confirmation comes from his doctor after he was transported to the military hospital this morning for complications related to his health (suffering from diabetes and a neuropathy of the legs). The doctor says that he cannot make his diagnosis known at the moment.
The Czech president returned to hospital only a few weeks after his last hospitalization. Zeman had previously been hospitalized on Sept. 14 for what his office called scheduled exams that would detect no life-threatening problems or illnesses. The presidential office then reported that the president was just dehydrated and tired. Zeman spent four days in the same hospital in 2019 for similar reasons. The 77-year-old president is a heavy smoker with a penchant for alcohol and has suffered from diabetes and neuropathy. He has difficulty walking and is using a wheelchair.
The Czech presidency is largely ceremonial, but the president has the right to choose the country's new prime minister.
In the morning, the head of state met in Lany with his close ally, Prime Minister Andrej Babis, whose centrist movement Ano finished second in Saturday's elections, after the center-right coalition.
However, Babis' single party was the most voted and Zeman had previously reported that he would entrust the task of trying to form a new executive to the very leader of the party (and not the coalition) most voted.
Babis did not comment after meeting Zeman.