Babis govt wins vote of confidence in Czech lower house

PRAGUE -- The coalition government led by ANO party leader Andrej Babis won a vote of confidence in the Czech Chamber of Deputies on Thursday, formally obtaining constitutional legitimacy to govern.

The coalition, comprising Babis' ANO party, the Freedom and Direct Democracy party (SPD) and the Motorists for Themselves, secured 108 votes in the 200-seat parliament. Babis hailed the unity of his coalition following the vote.

Under the Czech Republic's constitution, a newly appointed government must present itself to the Chamber of Deputies within 30 days of its appointment to seek a vote of confidence.

The vote followed a debate lasting about 26 hours of session time, the longest of its kind in the country's history, according to the website of CT24 news channel.

Babis won the parliamentary election last October and was sworn in as prime minister in December last year.