Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) is not considering dismissing Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists), as cooperation with him is excellent, he said during a visit to the Caslav military base today.
According to Babis, the opposition and the media are trying to disrupt the current coalition, but they will not succeed.
On Tuesday, the president announced that Macinka had sent him messages via his advisor Petr Kolar, which Pavel considered extremely serious and an attempt at blackmail. The messages were published by the Presidential Office (KPR). Macinka has been urging Pavel to appoint Filip Turek, honorary president of the Motorists, as environment minister; Pavel has refused to do so, citing concerns about Turek’s behaviour and lack of respect for the law of the Czech Republic.
Macinka denied that his statements were blackmail. He said they were an attempt to influence the president’s position, which is the essence of every negotiation in politics. On Tuesday, Macinka said that by not appointing Turek, Pavel is acting outside the constitutional framework and therefore should not lead the Czech delegation at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summer summit in Turkey.
The coalition government of ANO, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and the Motorists will face an opposition motion of no confidence due to Macinka’s text messages. The Chamber of Deputies will begin discussing it next Tuesday.
According to the opposition, Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) has not condemned Macinka’s controversial statements despite repeated calls for him to do so, nor has he clearly stated whether Minister Macinka has his support.
ODS leader Martin Kupka warned of damage to the Czech Republic’s reputation abroad. “This totally unacceptable behavior by the foreign minister is such a serious threat to democratic institutions and the functioning of the Czech state abroad that it is necessary to call an extraordinary session to pass a vote of no confidence in Andrej Babis’s government,” he said.
At least 101 votes are needed to bring down the cabinet. The opposition parties (ODS, STAN, KDU-CSL, TOP 09 and the Pirates) have 92 deputies in the 200-seat Chamber of Deputies, while ANO, SPD, and the Motorists have 108.
“We have seen downplaying, we have seen the suggestion that these are unfortunate statements,” said STAN leader Vit Rakusan. “Blackmail, coercion, literally mafia methods used here by the Minister of Foreign Affairs are euphemistically described as something unfortunate. This government does not have our trust.”
Pirate Party chairman Zdenek Hrib told reporters that the opposition had given Macinka and Babis the opportunity to explain the affair in the Chamber of Deputies and to reflect on their behavior, but this had not happened.
Babis said yesterday in the Chamber of Deputies that the government is not interested in a trench war with President Pavel. He also told MPs that he considered Macinka’s messages to Pavel to be unfortunately worded, but he also understands the Motorists’ disappointment over Turek not being appointed minister.
He is not considering Macinka’s dismissal. “I think the cooperation with Minister Macinka is excellent. I have had various coalition partners, so it works very well,” said Babis.
The Prime Minister also said he had invited Pavel and Macinka to a joint meeting to resolve the dispute. However, he added that he had heard from people close to the president that Pavel did not want to meet Macinka, only the prime minister. If the president refuses to attend a joint meeting, Babis said he is prepared to meet him to clarify the situation, which should happen after Pavel returns from vacation.
