Czech president and foreign minister clash over cabinet post
A political scandal has erupted in Czechia between President Petr Pavel and Foreign Minister Petr Macinka. The scandal was caused by disagreement over the appointment of one of the ministers, according to Politico and Novinky.
Pavel accused Macinka of blackmail after the Foreign Minister threatened the president’s adviser over Pavel’s refusal to appoint Filip Turek as Environment Minister. Turek has been linked to multiple controversies.
The clash between Pavel and Macinka is seen as a sign of deepening political divisions in Czechia. The President is at odds with the government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, as Pavel is firmly pro-Western and strongly committed to NATO and EU interests.
President Pavel blocked Turek’s nomination due to his involvement in a series of scandals and investigations. The decision reportedly angered Macinka.
"He can have peace if I get Turek at the Environment Ministry. If not, I’ll burn bridges in a way that will end up in political science textbooks as an extreme case of cohabitation," Macinka wrote to one of Pavel’s advisers.
Macinka also warned that Pavel would be "surprised by the consequences" if he "does nothing." In response, the President said Macinka was engaging in blackmail. Pavel added that police had verified the messages and confirmed they were authentic.
"I consider the Foreign Minister’s words in the text messages to be an attempt at blackmail. I regard that as unacceptable and, under our democratic conditions, absolutely intolerable," Pavel said.
Macinka, for his part, rejected the blackmail accusation and countered by accusing Pavel of overstepping his constitutional authority. He also opposed Pavel leading the Czech delegation to the NATO summit.
He said that he was traveling to Brussels the following day for a series of high-level meetings, which he would hold amid uncertainty over whether the president would show willingness to correct what he described as a constitutional overreach, adding that it appeared unlikely this would happen.
Macinka added that, in his view, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš should lead the Czech delegation. He offered little clarity to support his position, instead repeating accusations against President Pavel.
He said the President was not acting within the constitution and added that the Czech delegation to the NATO summit in July should therefore be led by the Prime Minister rather than the President.
Conflict over fighter jets
Recently, President Pavel clashed with Prime Minister Babiš’s government over the potential transfer of L-159 light combat training aircraft to Ukraine. Earlier, Pavel stated that such a transfer was possible and that the jets could be effective in countering drones.
However, Babiš later stated that he had put an end to discussions about supplying L-159 light combat aircraft to Ukraine. According to the Prime Minister, Kyiv will not receive the planes.
