An estimated 250,000 Czechs have rallied in Prague to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Andrej Babis, the biggest show of public discontent since the 1989 Velvet Revolution which overthrew Communism.
The rally in Letna park on Sunday was the culmination of a series of demonstrations in recent weeks against Babis, who has faced investigations over alleged fraud and conflicts of interest, claims he denies.
Organisers said they believed about 250,000 people had attended the rally. Phone operator T-Mobile said its network usage analysis put the number of participants at over 258,000, but police declined to give an estimate.
The total population of the Czech Republic is 10.7 million.
Protesters carried banners saying "Resign", "We've had enough", "We won't give up democracy", and others waved Czech and EU flags. Many families brought children to the rally, which was peaceful.
Babis said people had the right to protest but firmly refused to step down. His populist ANO movement remains the most popular party, although its support has dipped slightly in the past two months to 27.5 per cent.
Babis also has enough backing in parliament, where a no-confidence vote planned for Wednesday is likely to fail.
Police proposed in April that Babis, a billionaire businessman-turned-politician sometimes likened to US President Donald Trump, should be formally charged for fraud in tapping a European Union subsidy a decade ago to build a hotel and conference centre outside Prague. He denies wrongdoing.
The appointment of a new justice minister just after the police announcement prompted rallies by demonstrators suspicious that Babis was trying to influence proceedings. Babis has also vigorously denied that claim.
No politicians were invited to address the rally, the organisers said.
Australian Associated Press
