Czechs plunged into limbo as president is hospitalized

The president of the Czech Republic, Milos Zeman, was taken into an intensive care unit in Prague on Sunday, a day after the country's general elections.

"At the moment, the patient is hospitalized at an intensive care unit of Prague's Military University Hospital," Zeman's doctor Miroslav Zavoral told reporters, adding that Zeman's diagnosis could not yet be made public.

Zeman has been president of the Czech Republic since 2013, having previously served as prime minister from 1998 to 2002. 

The 77-year-old currently suffers from diabetes, according to reports, and is confined to a wheelchair due to a nerve disorder. Had recently been released from the hospital in September after an eight-day stay.

In the event that the Czech head of state is indisposed, the president of the Chamber of Deputies would take over his duties.

Ally suffers defeat at the polls

Zeman's hospitalization comes a day after legislative elections delivered a narrow defeat to his ally, Prime Minister Andrej Babis.

The two had met for 45 minutes at the president's Lany Castle residence near Prague earlier on Sunday, local news outlet CTK reported.

Babis, a populist billionaire who became prime minister in 2017, suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of an alliance of opposition parties, which won 108 of the 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies after voting was held on Friday and Saturday.

But now, the ailing Zeman plays a crucial role in determining who will govern the country. Although, the Czech presidency is a largely ceremonial post, one of his duties is to name who forms the next government.

jcg/rc (Reuters, AFP)