President Pavel rejects Turek as minister over lack of respect for law

Czech President Petr Pavel has refused to appoint Filip Turek from the Motorists' party as a member of the government, citing his repeated lack of respect for the Czech legal order. In a letter to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO Party), Pavel said the frequency, intensity and long-term nature of Turek’s conduct showed it was not a series of isolated lapses, such as youthful indiscretion. The president described the situation as unprecedented since the adoption of the Czech constitution, adding that it could not be compared with any previous cases in which presidents had raised objections to proposed cabinet nominees.