The lower house of the Czech Parliament rejected proposals to strip the parliamentary immunity of two key figures in the ruling coalition: Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Tomio Okamura.
The vote took place on March 5, 2026. As a result, members of parliament, by a majority vote, rejected the courts’ and prosecutors’ requests to lift his immunity.
In the case of Andrej Babiš, the case involved a long-running case involving alleged fraud in the receipt of approximately €2 million in EU subsidies. The prime minister has consistently described the prosecution as politically motivated, and the courts have previously acquitted him twice, although these decisions were overturned on appeal.
Tomio Okamura, leader of the SPD party, is accused of inciting hatred (based on materials related to his public statements and campaigning).
The Parliament’s Credentials and Immunities Committee had previously recommended rejecting both requests, and the ruling coalition (ANO, the SPD, and Motorists Against) followed suit. Andrej Babiš himself publicly urged his colleagues not to strip him of his immunity.
The rejection means that both politicians retain immunity from prosecution until the end of the current four-year parliamentary term in 2029.
Political analysts note that the decision strengthens the ruling majority and effectively blocks legal proceedings against the two most influential figures in the coalition for the next three years. The opposition has already called the vote “further evidence of mutual responsibility” and “an attack on the rule of law.”