Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek was sacked Monday, the president's office said, after he fell out of favour with his Social Democratic Party and the country's pro-Russian president.

President Milos Zeman "has dismissed Tomas Petricek in line with the constitution," Zeman's office said in a statement.

Petricek has criticised potential Russian participation in the construction of a new unit at a Czech nuclear plant, as well as the use of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine unless it is approved by the European Medicines Agency.

This has angered Zeman, a former Social Democrat chief who fosters close ties with the Kremlin.

"The security and health of our citizens comes first," Petricek told reporters on Monday to explain his reservations.

He said his dismissal was "a political decision."

At a congress last weekend, Petricek spoke up against Social Democrat chairman and Interior Minister Jan Hamacek as the two clashed for the top job in the party.

Petricek lost and Hamacek then proposed his dismissal, saying the party had to "speak in a single voice" before general elections in October.

Recent polls have suggested the party may fail to clear the 5-percent threshold for parliament entry.

Zeman has tapped Hamacek to stand in for Petricek temporarily.

Hamacek said he expects to be replaced as foreign minister by Culture Minister Lubomir Zaoralek, who had already served as the EU member's foreign minister in 2013-2017.

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