A strange picture stands at the beginning of Petr Fiala's term of office as Czech Prime Minister.
The chairman of the Citizens' Party (ODS) stands in a stiff posture in the stuccoed hall of Lány Castle, the country seat of the President, in front of a wide carpet.
On the other side there is a plexiglass box, in which President Miloš Zeman is sitting in a wheelchair.
The two communicate over an intercom.
All wear an FFP3 mask.
And in this way, Zeman takes the oath of office from the winner of the election at the beginning of October.
Stephan Löwenstein
Political correspondent based in Vienna.
Follow I follow
It had been a long back and forth before it got there.
Zeman had been in the hospital in the intensive care unit since the day after the general election in early October and was shielded from the outside world.
The Senate, the second chamber of parliament, even made preparations for an incapacity procedure.
Then came the turning point: Zeman expressed his willingness to appoint Fiala after his discharge from the clinic.
He was released on Thursday morning - and brought back on the same day.
Because now a corona infection had been found.
But because the symptoms are apparently not that serious, the postponed appointment ceremony could finally take place on Sunday - thanks to the glass case.
But the new government is still unable to start work.
Before he appoints the ministers, Zeman wants to have one-on-one interviews with all candidates.
That could probably take place via video conference.
The Czech President is showing that he wants to continue to exercise his broad interpretation of his powers.
In the previous government he had prevented a Social Democrat he didn’t like from becoming foreign minister;
the then small coalition partner had to accept it.
If a similar maneuver is imminent, there should be more conflicts.
Unlike Babiš, Fiala has its own majority in parliament.
He said he wanted to start governing by mid-December at the latest.