The recent dispute between President Petr Pavel and the government of Andrej Babis (ANO) over the appointment of MP Filip Turek (Motorists) as minister has increased confidence in the president among one-third of Czechs, according to a February poll conducted by the Median agency.
The dispute increased confidence in the Babis cabinet among only 9% of people, while reducing confidence for 36%. Confidence in the president fell among 30% of respondents following the dispute over Turek.
Motorists originally named Turek as their candidate for the post of foreign minister, and later for environment minister. Pavel criticised the nomination due to Turek’s controversial statements and persistent allegations of violent behaviour and sexual assault. After his appointment as prime minister, Babis did not submit Turek’s nomination to Pavel. In the cabinet appointed in mid-December, the ministries of foreign affairs and the environment were temporarily led by Motorists leader Petr Macinka. Only later, after reaching an agreement with the Motorists, did Babis submit Turek’s nomination for environment minister to the president. The president announced that he did not intend to appoint him. In February, Motorists MP Igor Cerveny became environment minister.
Regarding the government, the largest share of those polled (43%) stated that their confidence in the cabinet had not changed following the dispute. The second largest group, 36%, consisted of respondents for whom the dispute with the president had damaged their confidence in the government. Those for whom the dispute increased confidence in the cabinet were the smallest group (9%). The remaining 13% said they did not know.
For President Pavel, on the other hand, the largest group (34%) were the respondents whose confidence had strengthened. 30% reported a decline in confidence in the head of state following the dispute over Turek, while 25% said their confidence was unchanged. The remaining 11% of respondents did not know.
Increase in trust in the president was strongest among his supporters from the second round of the presidential election, and also among supporters of the current parliamentary opposition. As for Pavel’s voters, trust rose among 63% of them. Among voters for the Spolu alliance parties (Civic Democrats, TOP 09, Christian Democrats) and the Mayors and Independents (STAN), roughly three-quarters said their confidence in the president had increased. Among Pirate Party voters, confidence had risen among 69% of respondents.
Conversely, 68% of Babis’s voters in the 2023 presidential election, which he lost to Pavel, expressed a decline in trust in Pavel. This view was also expressed by 75% of voters for Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), and 55% of voters for ANO, the strongest ruling party.
Of the ruling parties, the survey recorded the smallest loss of confidence in Pavel among supporters of the Motorists, even though their candidate was the subject of the controversy. Among Motorists voters, confidence in the president declined among 46%, while it actually increased among 17%.
Following the dispute over Turek, confidence in the government rose among only 3% of Pavel’s voters and 19% of Babis’s voters from the presidential election. Conversely, it fell among three-fifths of Pavel’s voters and also among 13% of Babis’s voters. Among voters of the governing parties, confidence in the cabinet remained unchanged for a majority of people, while rising among 25% of SPD voters, and 15% for both ANO voters and Motorists voters. A decline in confidence in the government was expressed by 19% of Motorists voters, 15% of ANO voters, and 11% of SPD voters.
A decline in confidence in the cabinet was significantly more prevalent among opposition parties. Among Spolu and STAN voters, roughly 70% of respondents shared this view, and among Pirate Party voters, 60%. Confidence in the cabinet rose among only 1-3% of opposition voters.
The survey was conducted by the Median agency in February. It included 1,200 Czech residents over the age of 18.
