Police in the Czech Republic will stop unauthorised visits to the country s ailing president, Milo Zeman, after doctors treating him in intensive care complained that a leading political figure had called him without their knowledge or permission.
Prague s central military hospital launched an internal inquiry after the speaker of the country parliament, Zeman, disclosed that he had seen Radek Vondr ek on Thursday and described him as in good spirits.
He said that Zeman signed an order that the new Parliament elected in the general election of last week, which resulted in a surprise defeat for the populist prime minister by meeting on November 8th, the latest possible date allowed under the Czech constitution.
Babi was admitted to hospital from last Sunday directly after meeting Zeman his close ally, whom he vows to remain in office even if the election left opposition blocs better placed to form a new coalition government, the very scenario created by last week's poll.
The President's health has since become subject of intense speculation, prompting opponents to urge Parliament to declare him unfit and assume his powers to initiate the formation of a new administration, as allowed by the constitution.
Vratislav Myn, a member of Babi Action for Dissatisfied Citizens ANO Party, said he had met Zeman in the presence of Vondr ek, the president's minister, accused of hiding the true state of Zeman.
We talked for a while. The president communicated normally, he even joked, Vondr ek told journalists. Is he sick? I had a good conversation with him but He was really in a normal mood. He was laughing, joking. The Visit brought an angry rebuke from the hospital that upbraided Myn for admitting Vondr ek unexpectedly and without the knowledge of the attending physician It pointedly distanced itself from Vondr ek s comments on the President's health and said details on his condition were limited to his immediate family and associates.
The visit will be investigated as part of the hospital s internal investigation, a spokeswoman told Seznam Zpr Vy, a Czech news website.
On Friday, Czech police vowed to prevent repeats. The police of the Czech Republic will conduct the request provided by the central military hospital and will not allow direct contact of the President of the Republic with any person who has not received the prior consent of attending physician to visit, the force announced on Twitter.
The hospital also cast doubt on statements purporting to use Zeman's hospital diet and apparently designed to play down the severity of his condition.
Ji Ov ek the president spokesman whose credibility has come under scrutiny following a series of seemingly outlandish statements was ridiculed after tweeting that the President ate on apricot buns and ordered wine sausage with mashed potatoes for the following day. The message was accompanied by photographs of the two dishes.
The hospital spokesperson said they were not a mainstream hospital diet Czech media reports that Zeman is suffering from serious liver failure, a condition linked to hepatic encephalopathy. The hospital has not disclosed his diagnosis, saying it has not received Zeman's permission.
On Thursday, his wife Ivana Zemanov, 56, condemned speculation about her husband's health as very unethical in a statement to reporters at Prague Castle, site of the official presidential residence. Surveys have shown 87% of Czechs want more information on Zeman's condition.
Police later said they would investigate an anonymous complaint filed to the Czech prosecutor's office with the claim that the signature on the document convening parliament was fake and did not resemble Zeman's handwriting. Vondr ek denied the allegation.
They also issued a tweet flatly contradicting a claim by Vondr ek that officers had accompanied him on his visit to Zeman. The police of the Czech Republic did not accompany the president of the chamber of deputies to the president of the republic, the tweet read. The Chair visited the President, accompanied by the chancellor who was already in place at the time.