Czech government faces no-confidence vote in Parliament over a dispute with the president

Audio By Carbonatix

PRAGUE (AP) — The new Czech Republic coalition government of populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš on Tuesday faced a parliamentary no-confidence vote over the handling of a dispute with the country’s president.

The opposition parties that requested the vote have sided with President Petr Pavel, who accused Foreign Minister Petr Macinka of blackmailing him, because he refused to appoint a government minister representing the right-wing Motorists for Themselves euroskeptic party. Macinka heads the Motorists.

Pavel said that Filip Turek was ineligible to become the environment minister after a daily newspaper published posts from his Facebook page found to be openly racist, homophobic and sexist.

Turek apologized for some posts, but denied that he posted some others.

Macinka accused the president of violating the country’s constitution and threatened him with consequences, including working to prevent Pavel from representing the country at a NATO summit this year, if he fails to appoint his associate.

Tens of thousands of Czechs rallied Sunday in the capital, Prague, and elsewhere in support of the president.

Babiš has rejected opposition calls to dismiss Macinka, who has refused to apologize. The government has a majority to survive the vote in the lower house of Parliament. The timing of the vote is uncertain, but it could come as soon as Tuesday.

The president and the prime minister are scheduled to meet Wednesday over the issue.

Pavel swore in a new government on Dec. 15 after Babiš and his ANO, or YES, movement won big in the country’s October election and agreed to form a majority coalition with two small political groups, the Freedom and Direct Democracy anti-migrant party and the Motorists.

The coalition's agenda includes steering the country away from supporting Ukraine and rejecting some key European Union policies.

Unlike the new government, Pavel, a retired army general, and the opposition, are staunch supporters of Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion.