"Good deed" not done: President refuses to appoint Motorists’ Party nominee as minister after meeting with PM Babiš
President Petr Pavel met Prime Minister Andrej Babiš for a New Year’s lunch at the Prague Castle on Wednesday. While the event is usually a social occasion, this time the two leaders met without their spouses and focused primarily on political matters. At the top of the agenda was the nomination of Filip Turek, honorary president of the Motorists’ Party, as minister for the environment, as well as Czech foreign policy.
After the meeting, Babiš told journalists that he had formally submitted Turek’s nomination but that President Pavel had refused to appoint him. The decision was not unexpected: the Presidential Office had already signalled in December that the president had serious reservations about Turek and would not approve his appointment.
Pavel appointed the new coalition government of ANO, the Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD) and the Motorists’ Party on December 15 last year. The environment ministry has since been led on an interim basis by Petr Macinka, leader of the Motorists’ Party and foreign minister, who had said he wanted Turek to take over the post by January 13.
Turek has faced criticism over racist and homophobic posts on social media. He has apologised for some statements and denied authorship of others. Controversy also surrounds alleged threats he made eight years ago to an employee of the Saudi embassy, his official asset declaration, and images and videos that appear to show him performing Nazi salutes, which he denies.
At a meeting between Pavel and Turek on December 22, Turek sought to explain and defend himself against the allegations that continue to be the subject of public debate. His explanations did not convince the president, however, and Pavel’s reservations about the nomination remain. According to the Presidential Office, the “intensity and scope” of Turek’s problematic statements and actions raise doubts about his respect for constitutional values, democratic order and human dignity. The Office added that his public behaviour has led many to believe that he “trivialises one of the most brutal totalitarian regimes of the 20th century - Nazi Germany.”
Babiš said that during the New Year’s lunch he tried to persuade the president to “give Turek a chance”, but without success. He told journalists:
“Although I spent an hour trying to persuade the president to rise above the issue, do a good deed and give Mr Turek a chance, he refused.”
Babiš has argued repeatedly, including on social media, that Turek deserves an opportunity to prove himself, but he has ruled out filing a constitutional complaint against the president over the refusal to appoint him. The case has nonetheless revived debate over the limits of presidential powers, an issue that has arisen several times in Czechia when presidents have refused to appoint certain ministers. Further discussions on the matter are expected in the coming days as a resolution is sought.
Reactions from the Motorists‘ Party
The Motorists’ Party continues to insist on Turek’s nomination, with Turek remaining its sole candidate for the post. On Wednesday evening, the party’s parliamentary group unanimously expressed support for him and voiced concern over what it described as “the president’s approach to his constitutional duties.” Parliamentary group leader Boris Šťastný said the party would first inform coalition partners ANO and SPD of its next steps at a meeting on Monday.
Šťastný also praised what he described as Babiš’s loyal approach, which the party sees as confirmation of the coalition’s stability. Macinka ruled out the possibility of the Motorists leaving the government over the dispute and rejected the idea of filing a jurisdictional lawsuit against the president. He suggested that Pavel was seeking such a lawsuit in order to gain additional powers from the Constitutional Court and told journalists:
“If the president believes that this step will break up the coalition so that the Motorists leave and are replaced by parties closer to him ideologically, then he is deeply mistaken.”
Coordinating foreign policy statements
In addition to the ministerial dispute, Babiš and Pavel also discussed the strongly anti-Ukraine New Year’s speech delivered by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Tomio Okamura (SPD). In his address, Okamura criticised military aid to Ukraine, opposed Ukrainian membership in the EU and harshly attacked Ukraine’s leadership, prompting strong reactions from the opposition as well as from Ukrainian politicians and diplomats. On Wednesday, however, Okamura again defended the speech, describing it as excellent.
Babiš said the issue was mentioned only briefly, adding that he was not Okamura’s spokesperson and had already commented on the matter previously. He has said in the past that Okamura framed the speech primarily for SPD voters. According to Babiš, the president may raise the issue with Okamura directly at a meeting of constitutional officials on January 26.
According to the Presidential Office, Pavel underlined the need to align public statements with Czechia’s foreign-policy priorities and its commitments to partners and allies. The president and prime minister agreed to establish mechanisms for closer coordination and information-sharing on foreign and security policy, as well as to coordinate foreign travel. Pavel also told Babiš that he would consider it appropriate for Czechia to join a joint statement by European countries on Greenland.
