Racism scandal threatens to derail Czech coalition talks
Talks on forming a new Czech government have run into serious difficulties over two potential nominees from the Motorists’ party. While the likely future head of government, Andrej Babiš (ANO) would prefer for the party to nominate experts to its four allotted portfolios, the Motorists have made it clear that either their members get posts in the cabinet or the party goes into the opposition - a move that would scupper ANO’s chances of forming a majority government.
Filip Turek’s nomination to the post of foreign minister appeared almost certain, when on Friday Deník N published what it alleged were Turek’s deleted Facebook posts containing openly racist, sexist and homophobic comments. Turek denied authorship, dismissing the posts as “ a disgusting smear campaign” against him and said the party would sue Denik N for slander.
However, the news site is standing firmly by its report and police are now investigating the posts, in which the author downplayed an arson attack that injured a two-year-old Roma girl and referred to the 2019 New Zealand mosque shootings as “cleansing,” among other things.
The report caused an outcry from the ruling parties, who said that nominating Turek to the post of foreign minister was unthinkable and would cause irreparable harm to the country’s reputation.
Andrej Babiš, who has been pushing hard to speed up talks on a new cabinet, said the matter is serious and suggested that the best solution would be for the Motorists party to nominate experts to the cabinet, like the SPD, the other junior partner in the three-partite talks.
However, the Motorists insist that they will either be in the cabinet or go into opposition – which would scupper ANO’s chances of forming a majority government. In an effort to resolve the matter Babis called a meeting with the Motorists on Monday.
The scandal surrounding Filip Turek is not the only hitch in the ongoing coalition talks. Babiš has also come under pressure from environmental experts and leading academics regarding the likely nomination of the Motorists’ leader, Petr Macinka, to the post of environment minister. Five hundred highly respected personalities in their field, including forty professors, petitioned Babiš and President Petr Pavel not to hand over the environment ministry to someone who they claim openly denies human influence on climate change, wants to end support for renewable energy sources, and argues that the ministry is an obstacle to progress.
Given the Motorists strong negotiating position, Andrej Babis will be hard put to find a solution, particularly since President Petr Pavel has made it clear that he intends to closely monitor the process of forming a new government and wants to meet in person with each ministerial nominee ahead of appointing Babis prime minister designate. Presidents have in the past refused to appoint ministerial nominees, on various grounds.
President Pavel said earlier that he wouldn’t appoint ministers who advocate Czechia’s withdrawal from NATO or the EU and is concerned about possible damage to the country’s reputation. His other stated priorities include preserving all the institutions of a democratic state, such as an independent judiciary and public service media.
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