Czech president appoints new finance minister as government spat ends

Czech Republic's President Milos Zeman (R) appoints Ivan Pilny as the new Finance Minister at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, May 24, 2017. REUTERS/David W Cerny

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech President Milos Zeman appointed Ivan Pilny as finance minister on Wednesday, ending a political spat that nearly brought down the government just months before an election.

The former Microsoft executive replaces Andrej Babis, a billionaire businessman whose dismissal Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka had sought, sparking a battle between the two main parties in the centre-left government.