Pavel and Babiš danced around conflict of interest, says prominent constitutional lawyer Kysela

President Petr Pavel could not block Andrej Babiš from becoming prime minister, while Babiš could not openly say everything he thought during talks on resolving his conflict of interest, prominent constitutional lawyer Jan Kysela said. Speaking to Czech Radio Plus, Kysela said Pavel achieved what was realistically possible at this stage by insisting on a clear and understandable outline of how the conflict would be addressed. Kysela does not see the arrangement as an overt fraud, but neither does he view it as an act of great sacrifice by Babiš. He added that the entry of billionaires with legal and conflict-of-interest issues into top politics is a relatively new phenomenon, not unique to Czechia, and one that challenges earlier assumptions behind conflict-of-interest laws.