Czechia officially has a new government. Former opposition leader Petr Fiala and his coalition government took office on Friday, almost 10 weeks after the elections. 

The cabinet formation was in part delayed by the hospitalization of President Milos Zeman with COVID-19. The new prime minister faces a set of immediate difficulties, including a new wave of COVID-19 infections and a possible clash on foreign policy in the region.

Czechia's hospitals are nearing full capacity and there are protests against restriction measures and a new budget to draft amid a rise in inflation and deficit.

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Internally, the nature of his coalition government is a challenge by itself.

Fiala had to round up five different parties to create a coalition strong enough to beat the incumbent prime minister - populist leader and billionaire Andrej Babis. 

The partners range from an established center-right party to a liberal group in power for the first time. Keeping them glued together will definitely be a daily concern.

And externally, this government represents a shift in foreign policy, which could be problematic on many levels. His cabinet has shown a weaker stance on supporting Israel - a long-standing ally of Czechia. 

And Fiala's intent to strengthen ties with the EU and NATO could create some clashes with his fellow partners of the Visegrad group - Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

And if this wasn't enough - Czechia takes on the Presidency of the council of the EU in the second half of 2022. 

The previous government barely made any preparations, so Fiala is left to add that to the long list of challenges he must complete as the Czech prime minister.