Thousands of people took to the streets of Prague to support the Czech president

On Sunday, thousands of people gathered in Pragueʼs Old Town and Wenceslas Squares to express support for Czech President Petr Pavel.

This was reported by the Czech media outlet Radio Prague.

According to organizers, about 90 000 people took part in Sundayʼs rally. The next rallies are planned for February 15 in various cities in the Czech Republic. A petition in support of the president has already been signed by 600 000 citizens.

The actions took place against the backdrop of a conflict between the head of state and Foreign Minister Piotr Macinka over the presidentʼs refusal to appoint Filip Turek as Minister of the Environment.

The dispute escalated on Tuesday, after Pawel held an extraordinary press conference. The president said that Macinka had been sending him text messages through his adviser Petr Kolarz which he viewed as an attempt at blackmail.

In the wake of the incident, opposition parties have initiated a vote of no confidence in the government of Andrej Babiš, which is scheduled for Tuesday. In parallel, the civic initiative "Million Moments for Democracy" organized a rally in support of the president.

Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, speaking on Czech television, said he respected the oppositionʼs right to protest, but stressed that their supporters must also respect the results of the elections held four months ago.

Whatʼs wrong with the new Czech government?

In December, the Czech president officially appointed billionaire Andrej Babis, leader of the populist ANO party, as the new prime minister. He is hostile to support for Ukraine and is considering joining the “anti-Ukrainian alliance” that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is trying to create with Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

It was reported that the leader of the ANO party was negotiating the formation of a government with openly pro-Russian forces — the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and the right-wing populist Motorists for Themselves party.

ANO advocates an “immediate end to the war” between Ukraine and Russia and believes that military support only prolongs the conflict. The party is convinced that without Western help, Kyiv would have agreed to “peace” sooner.

ANO is also skeptical about Ukrainian refugees — Andrej Babis has repeatedly questioned whether it is worth continuing temporary protection and financial support for them.

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