President Petr Pavel declared on an extraordinary briefing that Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists) delivered text messages through presidential advisor Petr Kolář that the president considers extremely serious and views as an attempt at extortion. According to ct24.ceskatelevize.cz, the presidential office submitted a motion to the police to investigate the content of the text messages, and Pavel also forwarded the messages to lawyers to assess whether they constitute the criminal offense of extortion.
President Pavel Accuses Foreign Minister Macinka of Extortion
The police confirmed on the social network X that they would handle the motion. ct24.ceskatelevize.cz reported that the police stated they would first review the content and evaluate its criminal-legal relevance, and later announced that the National Headquarters Against Organized Crime would investigate the messages because the suspected unlawful conduct involves a constitutional official. President Pavel subsequently published the minister’s messages on the social network X.
Content of the Disputed Messages and Political Demands
In the disclosed messages, Minister Macinka stated that the president could find peace if Motorists candidate Filip Turek is appointed to the Ministry of the Environment. As reported by ct24.ceskatelevize.cz, Macinka wrote that if not, he would burn bridges in a way that would go down in political science textbooks as an extreme case of cohabitation, and added that he understood the president would not let himself be blackmailed, but politics is about compromises if one wants to have influence over anything, meaning either everything will be possible or nothing will be possible.
Macinka demanded a decision by Wednesday, stating that if the president does nothing, or at least does not agree to some negotiations regarding the matter of Turek at the Ministry of the Environment, the consequences would surprise him greatly (and not just him). The foreign minister also mentioned that the only reason Ukraine would not receive L-159 aircraft was because Pavel spoke about it imprudently to the media.
President Pavel previously refused to appoint Turek as a government member—the only one among the proposed candidates—explaining in a letter to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš that Turek repeatedly demonstrated a lack of respect for the Czech legal order, and that the number, intensity, and long-term character of this behavior show these are not one-time excesses of youthful recklessness. Pavel stated that no intimidation applied to him and that he would continue to be guided primarily by the constitution and the interests of the Czech Republic.
Reactions and Calls for Dismissal
Macinka defended his actions by labeling the messages as political negotiation, asserting that trying to influence someone’s stance in politics is the essence of any negotiation and stating that he wrote the messages with the awareness that publication could happen. Furthermore, Macinka claimed that President Pavel should not represent Czechia at a NATO summit because he is not operating within the constitutional framework by refusing to appoint Turek. According to ct24.ceskatelevize.cz, Macinka asserted that he has the support of coalition leaders, including SPD leader Tomio Okamura and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), though President Pavel stated he believes Macinka does not have Babiš’s support.
The fallout generated strong opposition demands. Pirate Party Chairman Zdeněk Hřib and ODS Chairman Martin Kupka both called for Prime Minister Babiš to propose Macinka’s dismissal, with Kupka condemning the minister’s messages as mafia practices. Meanwhile, denik.cz reported that Prime Minister Babiš invited both Pavel and Macinka to a joint meeting, and presidential spokesperson Daniel Drake confirmed that Macinka would be welcome if the prime minister is accompanied by the foreign minister, with coordination for the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York serving as the main topic.
