Pavel vs. Babiš: how a modern tug-of-war fits into a long Czech political tradition

The current tug-of-war between President Petr Pavel and Andrej Babiš centres on how the ANO leader — and billionaire owner of Agrofert — should publicly address his business interests before being appointed prime minister. While it dominates today’s headlines, history shows that such tensions between the Castle and the head of government have appeared many times before. In this Czechast special, we explore how these power dynamics shaped politics from the First Republic to the present day.

In this Czechast special episode, Vít pohanka looks at the long and often complicated relationship between Czechoslovak and Czech presidents and their prime ministers — from the uneasy partnership of Masaryk and Kramář to modern tug-of-wars like the current one between Petr Pavel and Andrej Babiš. What may seem like a uniquely contemporary episode turns out to be part of a recurring pattern in Czech political life. Listen to the full episode to discover how these power struggles unfolded across history and what they reveal about Czech politics today.