Czech President Václav Klaus has vetoed the government’s pension reform bill. The step is seen as the latest in a series of moves aimed at weakening Prime Minister Petr Nečas’ position and potentially bringing down the fragile government coalition, which has become unpopular since introducing strict austerity measures it is struggling to implement in order to control the budget deficit.
Klaus has made it even harder for the government by vetoing vital reforms, according to Reuters, which quotes analysts speculating that Klaus wants to boost his own ratings before leaving office in March. The pension reform is important to the center right government, which considers it essential for keeping Czech finances on a healthy track. Klaus claims there is not enough political and social consensus for the pension bill and claims the pension reform would damage voter confidence.
