The Constitutional Court of Czechia on Wednesday ordered the government to permit President Petr Pavel to attend the NATO summit in Turkey next month, issuing a ruling in response to a request from the head of state.
The government, led by the populist ANO party of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, had announced on Monday that it would break with tradition and not allow the president to lead the Czech delegation. Relations between Pavel and Babiš‘s government have been strained.
Conflict of Powers
While the government determines and conducts Czechia‘s foreign policy, the Czech constitution also stipulates that the president represents the country abroad. Petr Pavel argued that preventing him from joining the delegation would impede the exercise of his powers.
Judge Pavel Šámal, announcing the decision at a televised briefing, stated that the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must “without delay” inform NATO and the organizers of the July 7-8 summit in Ankara that the president will be part of the Czech delegation.
In response, Andrej Babiš posted on social media platform X that he respects the court’s decision.
Political Positions
Petr Pavel, a strong supporter of NATO and the EU, previously served as the chief of the Czech army and chaired the NATO Military Committee from 2015 to 2018. He has occasionally clashed with Babiš, who supports U.S. President Donald Trump and whose government includes ultra-right and Eurosceptic parties.
The court’s decision requires the government to accredit Pavel for the summit by the Friday deadline.
Source: The Straits Times