Cloak and Dagger Politics as Czechia Nears End of an Era

But the ambitions of the president and the people around him in Prague Castle were about to take an even bigger hit. Minutes after the billionaire premier took his leave, Zeman was rushed to Prague's Central Military Hospital.

The hard-drinking, heavy-smoking and politically scheming 77-year-old president has not been seen in public since. No diagnosis has been released.

For a week the country lay in limbo. Led by Presidential Chancellor Vratislav Mynar, whose links to Russia are believed to be behind his failure to secure clearance from the National Security Office (NBU), Zeman's inner circle insisted that he was recovering and looking forward to brokering negotiations on the formation of the next government. Meetings were reportedly held; constitutional documents signed.

But on October 18 a doctor's report demanded by Milos Vystcil, head of the upper house Senate, stated that the president was incapacitated and unlikely ever to return to work. This led to the shocking suspicion that Mynar and his allies had covered up Zeman's condition and effectively usurped the president's powers.

The following day the Senate voted to invoke Article 66 of the constitution, starting the process to strip Zeman of his powers. The police and security agencies swiftly announced that they are investigating potential "crimes against the republic".

It isn't the first time that worries about the head of state being manipulated had arisen. While a skilled and cunning political veteran, Zeman has become increasingly frail in recent years. More than one long-time ally has complained of being unable to contact the president, suggesting he was being deliberately isolated.

Now, with doubts rife over both his health and where the loyalty of his team...