Helena Třeštíková resigned from her position as Minister of Culture

Prague - Culture Minister Helena Třeštíková (for KDU-ČSL) today resigned from her position in the government of Mirek Topolánek after sixteen days. She claims the reason is the political pressure regarding the appointment of deputy positions.
    "I take it rather as irrational and I try to understand them (the reasons for her resignation)," reacted Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek (ODS) in an SMS message sent to ČTK.
    "It has been a week since I informed about my personal stance on the situation that I have been exposed to as Culture Minister. My stance remains unchanged. I do not want to harm anyone, but I intend to stand by my words. After I verbally informed the Prime Minister about the reasons that led me to this decision, I also sent him my resignation today," Třeštíková stated in a position sent to ČTK by her secretary Renata Slámková.
    Třeštíková thanked everyone who supported her in her work and wished Topolánek's government much success and good decisions. "You will surely understand that this is all I can currently say about the whole matter. Therefore, I do not want and will not further comment on my resignation in the media," she added.
    Already last Thursday at a hastily convened briefing, Třeštíková stated that she was ready to resign if she had to appoint František Formánek as a deputy under political pressure, someone she previously refused to appoint. The claim by Mladá fronta Dnes that Formánek was allegedly approached with an offer for the deputy position was labeled as false, and she added that Formánek was suggested to her as a deputy in the presence of her predecessor in office, Martin Štěpánek, by Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek on January 8.
    On Sunday, Topolánek said on Czech Television that the minister apologized to him for "immediately reacting in such a media manner." According to Saturday's Právo, the head of the KDU-ČSL, Jiří Čunek, also apologized to him.
    According to Třeštíková, the condition for Formánek’s appointment was part of political agreements. However, she personally chose Jaromír Talíř (KDU-ČSL) as her deputy. She added that when the KDU-ČSL offered her participation in the government at the end of the year, they agreed with her choice of Talíř; there was "not a word" about Formánek's nomination, according to her. The information that she was prepared to resign in case of political pressure was allegedly "acknowledged" by the KDU-ČSL.
    According to Mladá fronta Dnes, Formánek was one of the lobbyists who could have played a key role in persuading members of the ČSSD deputy club, Michal Pohanka and Miloš Melčák, to tolerate the government. Formánek was brought into office in the previous electoral term by former minister Vítězslav Jandák, who was in the cabinet for ČSSD. Jandák's successor Štěpánek then dismissed him at his own request last October.
    Topolánek stated on Czech Television on Sunday that he no longer insisted on Formánek and rejected speculation that he played a role in persuading deputies Pohanka and Melčák. However, according to ČSSD chairman Jiří Paroubek, the effort to appoint Formánek as a deputy was part of an agreement between ODS and both deputies.
    In Monday's Press Club on Frekvence 1, Třeštíková did not rule out changes, but as she stated, she stands by her first deputy Jaromír Talíř. According to her words, she was supposed to meet with Topolánek again this week, as he had not explained the whole situation regarding Formánek to her.