Czech PM Petr Fiala has commented on the country’s lower wage growth, the nuclear alliance with France and the ongoing search for President Miloš Zeman’s successor in an interview with Seznam Zprávy.

Fiala discussed at length his efforts to get on with President Zeman despite their clear political differences and expressed his desire for the country’s governing parties to find a common candidate for Zeman’s successor.

“I think the public rightly expects me to be able to talk to Miloš Zeman, even though we each represent different voters and different views, and that’s how it should be in a democracy. These people must be able to talk to each other, or the state won’t work,” Fiala told the media outlet.

Fiala refused to name anyone specifically for the presidential role but expressed the need for any viable candidate to have significant public political experience.

“We need a personality who respects the nature of parliamentary democracy and the constitution. I would like someone who will unite society rather than agitate it with different opinions.”

He stated that his government took office at the most difficult moment in the history of the independent Czech Republic, acknowledging that he and his ministers must find a solution to rising inflation, the state budget deficit, and ever-increasing energy prices.

The Czech prime minister also echoed comments made recently by other members of the country’s legislature regarding its reliance on nuclear power, reiterating that Czechia will not have a sufficient amount of energy from renewable sources and must continue to promote nuclear power.

“The majority vote for nuclear in the EU is hard to find. There is strong opposition from some countries, notably Austria and Germany. It is not easy at all. We need to create a group of countries led by France supporting nuclear energy. Czechia will not solve it on its own. Our country must find allies,” Fiala added.