Paul said no in his letter to the Turk. The Motorists' MP will defend himself with a lawsuit

Czech resident Petr Pavel refused to appoint Motorist MP Filip Turek as Environment Minister, citing the protection of constitutional values. Turek described the President's justification as an attack on his honour and announced that he would defend himself in court.

Pavel explained his decision in detail in a letter to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. According to the head of state, this is not a political dispute, but the exercise of the President's constitutional role as a guarantor of the values of the democratic rule of law.

In his justification, Pavel relies on the Constitution, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, and the case law of the Constitutional Court. He recalls that human dignity, equality and the rejection of totalitarian ideologies are among the inviolable principles of the constitutional order. According to him, in exceptional and justified cases, the President has the right not to accept the Prime Minister's proposal to appoint a member of the Cabinet if there are reasonable doubts about the loyalty of the proposed person to these values.

In the case of Filip Turek, Pavel states that his repeated public statements and actions - including downplaying the Nazi regime, questioning the dignity of women and minorities, and his lack of respect for the rule of law - raise serious doubts about his loyalty to the constitutional order.

He stresses that it is not only the actual loyalty of public officials that is crucial, but also whether they appear loyal to the public. According to the President, the long-term and consistent nature of Turk's behaviour precludes the possibility of isolated excesses.

Filip Turek responded with harsh criticism. During a visit to Ukraine, where he is accompanying Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, he announced that he would file a personality protection lawsuit against the President in the coming days and demand an apology. He said he was deeply affected by the President's justification. At the same time, he ruled out the possibility of a competence lawsuit by the prime minister and any pressure on coalition partners.

President Pavel added that he is ready to work with the Prime Minister to complete the government and considers the entire situation to be completely unprecedented since the adoption of the Czech Constitution.

gnews.cz - GH