Pavel Vetoed Budget Amendment, Babiš and Schillerová…

Pavel Vetoed Budget Amendment, Babiš and Schillerová Criticize the Castle

22.07.2026 19:02 HotInfo

Tension between Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Finance Minister Alena Schillerová, and President Petr Pavel deepened on Wednesday, July 22, over the presidential veto of the amendment to the budgetary laws. Pavel refused to sign the government norm, which was meant to change the rules for compiling public budgets, and returned it to the Chamber of Deputies. denik.cz ↗

The president justified his decision by citing concerns about the long-term sustainability of public finances and the weakening of parliamentary oversight. According to available information, the amendment was, among other things, meant to allow the government to exceed the approved state budget expenditures by up to ten percent in the event of a deteriorating security situation. This is the first law of Babiš's government that Pavel has vetoed. denikn.cz ↗

Babiš and Schillerová criticized the president's move. The prime minister called it irresponsible, and according to published reactions, claims that the veto could endanger healthcare or defense capability. The opposition, by contrast, welcomed Pavel's decision and linked it to responsibility for taxpayers' money. novinky.cz ↗

The veto comes at a time of broader dispute between the government and the Castle, which had already been triggered earlier by the question of representing the Czech Republic at the NATO summit in Ankara. Babiš returned to this case again, stating that the embarrassment in Ankara could, in his view, have been avoided if the court had determined in advance that Pavel would be the head of the delegation. Further developments will therefore play out not only in the Chamber of Deputies but also in the ongoing jurisdictional dispute before the Constitutional Court. novinky.cz ↗