Czech Politics in Turmoil: Dispute over Turek Escalates…

Czech Politics in Turmoil: Dispute over Turek Escalates, Babiš Criticizes the EU Budget

24.04.2026 07:00 HotInfo

Czech politics has been rocked in recent days by intense disputes over several key issues. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš refused to provide the government special aircraft to Senate President Miloš Vystrčil for his planned trip to Taiwan, justifying his position with pragmatic foreign policy. The Chamber of Deputies is now demanding that the prime minister explain in writing the criteria for granting government aircraft. novinky.cz ↗

A critical situation was triggered by the government commissioner for climate policy and the Green Deal, Filip Turek (Motoristé), who at a celebration held by television station XTV referred to officials at ministries run by Motoristé as parasites destined for extermination. Prime Minister Babiš sharply criticized this statement and called it unacceptable. Trade unions strongly objected and are demanding an apology from Turek. The chairman of the Mayors and Independents (STAN), Vít Rakušan, is now publicly calling on the prime minister to remove Turek from his post as government commissioner, claiming that Babiš's response so far has been insufficient. The opposition supports Rakušan's statement, and the situation surrounding Turek is thus becoming one of the most pressing issues in Czech politics. ct24.ceskatelevize.cz ↗

President Petr Pavel insists on his attendance at the NATO summit in July without a backup plan and is planning a meeting with the prime minister on May 8, where he wants to clarify the composition of the Czech delegation for the event. At the congress of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions, Pavel objected to the fact that the governing Motoristé refer to him as the leader of the opposition. He called this a self-serving move and stressed that it amounts to manipulation by the coalition partner. Pavel is also advocating for the idea of creating a United States of Europe as a response to the changing geopolitical situation. blesk.cz ↗

A burning issue remains the conflict over the government's draft law on public service media proposed by Culture Minister Martin Baxy, which envisions abolishing monthly license fees. Czech Television Director General Jan Souček met with the prime minister and, after the meeting, stated that the independence of public television is not currently under threat, since valid legislation is in force. Employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio have declared a strike alert, and tens of thousands of people have signed a petition against the proposal. lidovky.cz ↗

At the informal EU summit in Cyprus, Prime Minister Babiš strongly protested against the proposed reduction of funds for the Czech Republic in the new seven-year EU budget starting in 2028. He also criticized Norway for, in his view, disproportionately profiting from the energy crisis by selling gas to the EU at high prices. Babiš does not support new own resources for financing the EU budget, with the exception of tariffs on goods from non-EU countries. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the absence of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the summit. irozhlas.cz ↗