What Czechia Is Writing About: Babiš backed down, Pavel to attend NATO summit. Motoristé fall below five percent

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš backed down after half a year of institutional dispute, and the Czech delegation to next year's NATO summit in Tirana, Albania, will ultimately be led by President Petr Pavel, who according to several media outlets does not plan to attend the summit himself. Tension between the Castle and the government showed itself in another way on the same day — Foreign Minister and Motoristé leader Petr Macinka declined an invitation to Monday's meeting between Pavel and Babiš after an agreement with the prime minister, and in Sunday's television debate, MPs also argued about a law meant to limit the president's powers in appointing envoys to international organizations. A new poll by the STEM agency also showed that ANO is still winning the election, but weakening, that the coalition party Motoristé sobě would not make it into the Chamber of Deputies according to the poll, and that the government is meanwhile preparing a possible cap on electricity prices as well as a return of the waiting period for sick leave.

Half-year war over the NATO summit ends, Babiš backs down

The dispute over who will represent Czechia at NATO summits has been going on since March, when Babiš wanted to travel to the then-upcoming meeting alone instead of the president. It escalated in the summer during the summit itself in Ankara, Turkey, after which the prime minister declared that he would "never again be in a delegation with the president." On Sunday, Babiš confirmed, according to Czech Television, that next year's summit in Tirana, Albania, will be led by President Pavel alone. ČT24 ↗

The same news was confirmed during the evening by several other outlets — Forum24 described it directly as a retreat following previous disputes, Forum24 ↗ iROZHLAS quoted the prime minister directly, iROZHLAS ↗ and SeznamZprávy emphasized that Babiš had outright ruled out his own attendance. SeznamZprávy ↗

Tension between the Castle and the government was not limited to NATO on that same day. Petr Macinka initially received an invitation to Monday's meeting between Pavel and Babiš, Aktuálně.cz ↗ which, according to Ekonomický deník, is meant to "break the tension" between the president and the government. Ekonomický deník ↗ In the end, after agreeing with the prime minister, he decided not to come to the Castle; he is to meet Pavel at another time and place. Aktuálně.cz ↗

Law on presidential powers also split Sunday's debate

Part of the same dispute is a law in preparation that would limit the president's powers in appointing envoys to international organizations. In Sunday's Czech Television debate, MP Jiří Pospíšil (TOP 09) called it a deliberate dispute that "was never contentious under any previous government" and will end up at the Constitutional Court, while Svobodní chairman Libor Vondráček argued, on the contrary, that it is merely a clarification of rules that will apply equally to every future government. ČT24 ↗

The same discussion also addressed Babiš's conflict of interest surrounding the Agrofert holding — while Pospíšil pointed out that it involves tens of millions of crowns of taxpayers' money, Vondráček, according to iDNES.cz, called the topic a "non-issue" and claimed the prime minister had done everything he could in his position. iDNES.cz ↗

STEM poll: ANO still leads, Motoristé fall below five percent

According to STEM's September poll, ANO would comfortably win the Chamber of Deputies election with over 31 percent, though its support has slightly declined compared to the previous measurement, Forum24 noted. Forum24 ↗ Motoristé sobě, according to iROZHLAS, would not make it into the Chamber at all, while the Mayors surprisingly improved their standing. iROZHLAS ↗ Ekonomický deník adds that other recent polls confirm the same trend — ANO is losing ground while STAN gains. Ekonomický deník ↗

Motoristé's drop below the electability threshold complicated the arithmetic of a majority and also opened talk of post-election cooperation in Prague. STAN chairman Vít Rakušan, according to Aktuálně.cz, did not rule out cooperation with ANO, though he prefers the Spolu coalition. Aktuálně.cz ↗ ODS chairman Martin Kupka expressed a similar view, also not ruling out cooperation with ANO in Prague, according to SeznamZprávy. SeznamZprávy ↗

State money: electricity, the waiting period, and pricier mortgages

The government is prepared to intervene in electricity prices if price increases on the energy market continue — Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček confirmed this in Sunday's program, though he did not specify at what level a possible price cap would be set. ihned.cz ↗

The government is also considering the return of the waiting period — three days of sick leave without sickness benefits — which the Babiš government abolished years ago. The Motoristé proposal was also supported by Labour Minister Aleš Juchelka. iDNES.cz ↗ According to Aktuálně.cz, companies have long been calling for the introduction of the waiting period. Aktuálně.cz ↗

A more critical tone was struck by a Reflex commentator, who pointed out that mortgages are the most expensive in the past two years and that financial markets are not guided by government statements. Reflex ↗ Meanwhile, Prime Minister Babiš presented his own solution to low birth rates — one million crowns for a second child and a lifelong tax break for a third, Deník writes. Deník ↗

Pirate Party chairman Zdeněk Hřib also came out hard in the state budget debate, accusing Havlíček, according to Forum24, of "cheating sick people" and saying he should "go down the drain" for it — a political accusation made during the debate, not a proven fact. Forum24 ↗

Under the radar

Justice Minister Jeroným Tejc admitted in an interview for iDNES.cz that he simply does not understand some court rulings, and spoke of the need to toughen sentences. iDNES.cz ↗

iROZHLAS noted that there are 490 sites in Czechia requiring remediation — chemist Tomáš Cajthaml called it the legacy of a "chemical superpower," following up on the Šumava contract affair we covered last week. iROZHLAS ↗

A Respekt commentator asks whether the government has "thrown away its compass" — a reference to the series of disputes surrounding the Castle and the state budget. Respekt ↗

A SeznamZprávy commentary compared how Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk handled the weekend's Russian provocation aimed at Czech-Polish relations — while Babiš called the incident a fabricated affair invented by journalists, Tusk recorded a video in which he openly acknowledged the Russian origin of the provocation. SeznamZprávy ↗

Meanwhile in Sweden, according to projections, the ruling right-wing bloc narrowly won, and for the first time it may bring the far right into government, Deník writes. Deník ↗

What hotinfo is watching

Whether Babiš really will not travel to next year's NATO summit in Tirana, or whether, as in the past, he will change his mind again.

Where and when the announced meeting between Petr Macinka and President Pavel outside the Castle will ultimately take place.

How the Chamber of Deputies will handle the law on presidential powers, which according to Pospíšil will end up at the Constitutional Court.

What the real balance of power will look like after the Senate and municipal elections on October 17, and whether Motoristé's drop below five percent is confirmed.

Whether the government will proceed with an actual cap on electricity prices, and when a decision on the return of the waiting period will be made.