Power struggle prompts mass protest in Prague
In the Czech Republic, President Petr Pavel and Andrej Babiš's right-wing coalition government are locked in a fierce dispute after Foreign Minister Petr Macinka tried to force the head of state to appoint Filip Turek, the Motorist Party's honorary president, as minister of the environment. At least 80,000 people took to the streets in Prague on Sunday to support Pavel.
The Czechs reject populism
The Czech Republic does not want to follow in Slovakia's footsteps, Gazeta Wyborcza explains:
“For many people in the Czech Republic, what's happening in Slovakia comes as a serious warning. Under the leadership of Robert Fico's pro-Russian cabinet, the country has undergone a fundamental geopolitical shift. ... The demonstration in Prague was originally supposed to take place only within the Old Town Square, but there were so many participants that it spread across to sprawling Wenceslas Square and the streets in between. The movement 'A Million Moments for Democracy' called on citizens to organise protests across the country. Czech civil society is trying to defend itself against populism.”
Babiš doesn't have his partners under control
The opposition has filed a motion of no confidence against Andrej Babiš's government which will be held today, Tuesday, in the Chamber of Deputies. Reflex applauds the move:
“The unprecedented behaviour of Macinka and Turek is damaging to the entire government's reputation. And the damage goes beyond the Czech Republic. Much to the displeasure of Babiš, who, however, is covering up all the excesses of the Motorists' Party and the [far-right Movement for Freedom and Direct Democracy] SPD for fear of his coalition falling apart. It is not the president who can resolve the crisis that has arisen, but the prime minister, who is responsible for his coalition members.”
Pavel's dilemma
This is basically a conflict of principles between the government and the president, Hospodářské noviny observes:
“Andrej Babiš's government, which includes the party Motorists for Themselves and the [far-right] SPD, has a completely different world view to the president. Familiarity versus openness, defeatism versus resolute defence, indifference versus adherence to principles, nationalism versus European cooperation. In view of the weakness of the democratic parties, the president sees himself as the main opponent of the government's policies. He has become the leader of the opposition, at least in the eyes of the voters. This is a problem for him because when he stands for re-election in two years' time, he will no longer be able to play the 'independent candidate' card.”
Macinka an amateur in blackmail
Lidové noviny examines the foreign minister's threat:
“It quickly became apparent that Petr Macinka had no real leverage. His supposed lever was the president not being allowed to lead the Czech delegation to the next Nato summit. This threat is more grotesque than frightening. It turns out that the foreign minister not only used inappropriate language but also flunked the basic rules of blackmail: a threat that is not backed up by the power to enforce it is simply embarrassing.”
Trumpisation of the political stage
Reflex draws a comparison with political disputes in the US:
“The dispute over the (non-)appointment of Filip Turek as minister has escalated into an open war between President Petr Pavel and the co-governing party Motorists for Themselves, which is represented in this duel by its leader Petr Macinka. Macinka had already announced before Christmas that he would fight Pavel if the head of state refused to back down in the Turek dispute. And this is what has happened. But the way in which scores are being settled via text messages or social media is wreaking havoc in Czech politics. Political disputes are degenerating into a display of stupidity in which we witness the Trumpisation of our political stage.”