Updated

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka says he is planning to formally submit the resignation of his government to the country's president in the second half of May.

Sobotka previously said he wanted to do it this week and was scheduled to meet President Milos Zeman on Thursday.

He triggered a political crisis on Tuesday by his decision to resign over the business dealings of his finance minister. He said the minister, billionaire businessman Andrej Babis, had not properly explained suspicions that he avoided paying taxes.

Babis denied any wrongdoing. He is a rival of Sobotka's leftist Social Democrats and heads a centrist movement that is a favorite to win October's parliamentary elections.

Sobotka says he wants to consult the president on Thursday and inform him about Babis' suspicious business activities.