Třeštíková is prepared to resign from the position of minister

Prague - Minister of Culture Helena Třeštíková is ready to resign from her position if she is forced under political pressure to appoint František Formánek as her deputy. She had previously refused to appoint him to this position. Třeštíková, who was nominated to the government by the Christian Democrats, announced this to reporters today.
    "I understand the current complexity of political negotiations, but I do not intend to sacrifice my human honor and self-respect for the sake of maintaining the ministerial position,” she said.
    At a press conference, Třeštíková read her statement. In it, she described that she did not personally approach Formánek. In the presence of her predecessor in the position, Martin Štěpánek, he was proposed to her by Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek (ODS) on January 8. According to her, the condition for Formánek's appointment was part of a political agreement, Třeštíková stated. She herself chose Jaromír Talíř (KDU-ČSL) as her deputy. Today, she said that when the Christian Democrats offered her participation in the government at the end of the year, they agreed with her choice. "Not a word was said about Formánek's nomination,” the minister said.
    The day after the president appointed the cabinet, the prime minister reportedly introduced Formánek to Třeštíková. After the meeting, she rejected him as her deputy. The minister stated that she informed the leadership of KDU-ČSL of her decision and repeated her position several times. According to her, the Christian Democrats acknowledged the information that she was prepared to resign in the case of political pressure.
    Today's Mladá fronta Dnes reported that Formánek could play a key role in negotiations between ODS and the Social Democratic Party representatives Michal Pohanka and Miloš Melčák regarding their support for the three-party coalition government.
    Formánek was brought into office in the previous electoral term by former minister Vítězslav Jandák, who was part of the cabinet for ČSSD. Jandák’s successor Štěpánek then dismissed him from his position at his own request last October.
    Třeštíková refused to answer questions at the press conference. She was accompanied by her husband. Due to the extraordinary briefing, she did not attend the already scheduled press conference for the presentation of her new document.