The minority coalition government of embattled Prime Minister Andrej Babiš
relies on the support of the Communists, giving the largely unreformed,
pro-Moscow, anti-NATO party a political say for the first time since 1989.
In exchange for its tolerance, the Communists have won some major policy
concessions, and party chairman Vojtěch Filip seems increasingly
determined to scupper a deal to buy US military helicopters to replace the
Czech Army’s ageing fleet.