Europe

Czechs rally against country's president, finance minister

Associated Press
Published | Updated

A large crowd take part in a protest at Prague's Wenceslas Square, Wednesday, May 10, 2017. Tens of thousands of people are rallying in the Czech Republic's capital and other major cities demanding Finance Minister Andrej Babis' firing and President Milos Zeman's resignation. (Katerina Sulova/ CTK via AP) (The Associated Press)

Demonstrators hold a cartoon of Czech President Milos Zeman as a clown as they take part in a protest at Prague's Wenceslas Square, Wednesday, May 10, 2017. Tens of thousands of people are rallying in the Czech Republic's capital and other major cities demanding Finance Minister Andrej Babis' firing and Zeman's resignation. (Katerina Sulova/ CTK via AP) (The Associated Press)

A cartoon of Czech President Milos Zeman is seen painted on red pants as demonstrators take part in a protest at Prague's Wenceslas Square, Wednesday, May 10, 2017. Tens of thousands of people are rallying in the Czech Republic's capital and other major cities demanding Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babis' firing and Zeman's resignation. (Katerina Sulova/ CTK via AP) (The Associated Press)

Thousands of people are rallying in the Czech Republic's capital and other major cities against President Milos Zeman and Finance Minister Andrej Babis.

The protesters gathered at Wenceslas Square in downtown Prague on Wednesday are demanding Babis' firing and Zeman's resignation.

The public demonstration follows Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka asking the president last week to get rid of the finance minister over his unexplained business dealings.

Babis, one of the richest people in the country, has denied wrongdoing.

Zeman so far has refused to fire his ally, claiming the government's three-party ruling coalition first would have to dissolve their coalition agreement.

Sobotka's left-wing Social Democrats are rivals of Babis' centrist movement in a parliamentary election scheduled for October.