President Pavel expects tensions with Babiš to ease

Czech President Petr Pavel says he believes relations with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) will calm after disputes over his attendance at the latest NATO summit. Speaking at Slovakia’s Pohoda festival, Pavel said cooperation was essential because the president and prime minister share several constitutional powers. He added that disagreements with the government were making him more inclined to seek re-election in 2028. Pavel also dismissed as absurd a proposal by the governing Freedom and Direct Democracy party to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Czech Republic’s highest state honour.