Speaking to journalists in Hungary yesterday, President Petr Pavel said he does not believe that the controversy surrounding Filip Turek, the Motorists’ candidate for environment minister, is merely a media fabrication, as Turek has claimed, and that he could hardly imagine anything to significantly change his mind about the issue.
The president added that Turek’s qualities and his approach to the law and other rules are rather incompatible with such a high public position as a cabinet minister.
“Of course I will be pleased to listen to [Turek],” said Pavel. “On the other hand, I can hardly imagine anything that could in any way reverse the opinion, which is not only mine, but of a large part of our public.”
The president has repeatedly said that he has a problem with the appointment of Turek to the government being formed by ANO, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), and the Motorists party.
Turek has faced widespread criticism for his controversial racist and homophobic posts on social media, as well as his numerous references to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, according to Denik N. He has apologised for some of the posts, but has denied writing others.
Turek said on Tuesday that he would like to explain the allegations to the president, which he said were rather creations of the media. He told reporters he could also provide documents to back up his arguments.
“Honestly, from what I have had the opportunity to hear so far… it is rather making everything that has been stated anywhere spurious. And mostly it was done in a way that showed a certain arrogance rather than humility,” Pavel said today.
Controversy was also sparked by Turek’s property declarations, in which he said he had CZK 9 million in a safe deposit box and CZK 2 million in his account, according to reports from Seznam Zpravy and Denik N. He also said he owns 12 vintage cars worth CZK 44.8 million. It remains unclear how he earned his money, and he has refused to explain the origin of millions of crowns.
The iROZHLAS.cz and Radiozurnal Czech Radio servers also published information in mid-October that Turek had threatened an employee of the Saudi embassy eight years ago. On Tuesday, iROZHLAS.cz reported that police were investigating Turek for a social media post that had downplayed the murder of two environmental activists.
Turek also faced criticism for threatening to “give a Nazi salute in the face” of one of his opponents on Prague’s Narodni street on 17 November, during the commemoration of the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution that triggered the collapse of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia.
Since Friday, Pavel has been meeting the ministerial candidates of the emerging government, but has not yet spoken with Turek. Today, the president will receive Motorists leader Petr Macinka, who has been proposed by the coalition as the new foreign minister.
Macinka said previously that during his meeting with the president, he would like to clarify the situation surrounding Turek, whom the party had originally wanted to nominate for foreign minister. The Motorists insist that Turek is legally unimpeachable and remains the party’s nominee for the government.
