The Czech education minister has resigned after his political allies were arrested over alleged involvement with organised crime groups.

Petr Gazd¨ªk??that he would step down ¡°despite the fact that I do not feel guilty of anything¡± after politicians in his localist Mayors and Independents Movement (Stan) were arrested and charged on 17 June with bribery, involvement in organised crime and suspicions of drug use.

¡°I do not want to shake the government or the coalition on the threshold of the EU presidency,¡± wrote Mr Gazd¨ªk, referring to the Czech Republic¡¯s chairing of European Union ministerial meetings and lead role in policymaking from July to December this year.

Police?raided Prague¡¯s City Hall and buildings belonging to the Prague Transport Company last week, subsequently charging 11 people over links to the finances of the 100-year-old company, which is wholly owned by the city.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

Local media reported that those arrested include?Michal Redl, a former associate of a fugitive criminal kingpin who met several times with?Mr Gazd¨ªk, and Prague deputy mayor Petr Hlubu?ek.

Czech prime minister Petr Fiala??despite him maintaining his innocence, calling it ¡°an expression of the change in political culture that this governing coalition wants to pursue¡±.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

The Czech Republic faced major issues with political corruption in the decades after the collapse of communist rule in 1989. ¡°This is an honest solution that we have not been used to in high politics in recent years,¡± said Professor?Fiala, who is also a former rector of?Masaryk University.

Mr Gazd¨ªk,?a former primary school teacher and a visiting lecturer at Prague¡¯s Charles University, rose to prominence as co-founder of Stan, a liberal political alliance?that he led for a decade. He also resigned as vice-chair of the party, which said it was examining its donations as a result of the arrests.

The Czech Republic¡¯s six-month stint hosting the presidency of the EU begins on 1 July. The rotating role is a chance to steer EU policymaking, because host ministries and ministers set the agenda for discussions between member countries.

The Czech government¡¯s overall priorities for its EU role include the Ukraine refugee crisis and post-war reconstruction; strengthening European defence and cybersecurity; and the resilience of democratic institutions.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

Ji?¨ª Draho?, emeritus chair of the Czech Academy of Sciences and a Stan-affliated senator, said he was confident the government ¡°will be able to choose a quality successor in the?¡±.

ben.upton@timeshighereducation.com