PRAGUE, Czech Republic — Event date: 2026-02-01. Tens of thousands of people rallied in Prague and across the Czech Republic on Sunday to back President Petr Pavel in a fast-moving dispute with the country’s foreign minister and the right-wing Motorists for Themselves party.
The biggest crowd packed Old Town Square, while others gathered nearby at Wenceslas Square and watched speeches on large screens. Supporters waved Czech, Ukrainian and European Union flags and held banners praising Pavel, whose public standing has made him an unusually popular figure in a tense political moment.
The immediate trigger for the protests was Pavel’s refusal to appoint Filip Turek as environment minister. Turek is associated with the Motorists for Themselves, the Euroskeptic party led by Foreign Minister Petr Macinka. Pavel said Turek was not eligible for the post after media reports highlighted Facebook posts that were described as openly racist, homophobic and sexist. Turek apologized for some of the posts but denied writing others.
Macinka responded by accusing the president of violating the constitution and warning of consequences if he did not appoint his controversial ally. Pavel, in turn, said the language amounted to blackmail. He was also reported to be preparing to meet Prime Minister Andrej Babiš later in the week to discuss the standoff.
The political dispute sits inside a broader shift in Czech politics. Pavel swore in a new government on Dec. 15 after Babiš and his ANO movement won the October election and built a majority coalition with the Freedom and Direct Democracy anti-migrant party and the Motorists. The coalition has signaled a more skeptical posture toward support for Ukraine and a sharper critique of some European Union policies. Pavel, a retired army general, has remained a strong supporter of Kyiv.
That contrast between the new government and the president has sharpened the current clash. Pavel’s critics see him as obstructing an elected coalition. His supporters see him as using constitutional power to prevent a ministerial appointment they view as politically and morally unacceptable.
Smaller rallies in support of the president were reported in other parts of the country, suggesting that the dispute has resonated beyond the capital. The scale of Sunday’s demonstrations also highlighted the symbolic importance of the presidency in the Czech system, where the office can influence cabinet formation and shape the political tone even without day-to-day executive power.
For now, the standoff remains unresolved. But the public response in Prague made clear that the argument over one ministerial nomination has become a wider test of the new government’s direction, the president’s authority and the public’s tolerance for political rhetoric that many demonstrators say crosses a line.
