The opposition wants to challenge the restrictions on the president's powers. The dispute over foreign missions may end up in the Constitutional Court.

PRAGUE – The political dispute over the scope of the President of the Republic's powers in the field of foreign policy is intensifying. A proposal, which was approved by the Chamber of Deputies this week and which transfers the authority to appoint and dismiss heads of permanent missions to international organizations from the President to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, could end up before the Constitutional Court, according to MP Jiří Pospíšil (TOP 09). He stated this in the discussion program "Sunday Special" on CNN Prima News.

Pospíšil described the change as a problematic intervention in the constitutional position of the head of state. In his opinion, this is not just a technical amendment to the law, but a fundamental change in the distribution of powers between the President and the government. If the amendment passes through the entire legislative process, he expects that a motion will be filed to have it reviewed by the Constitutional Court. A different view was presented by former Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Radek Vondráček (ANO). According to him, the amendment only clarifies the current legal framework and eliminates a long-standing ambiguity in the powers. He emphasized that the Minister of Foreign Affairs already issues appointment letters for heads of permanent missions, while the President of the Republic traditionally only appoints ambassadors sent to individual countries.

The proposed change is based on an amendment proposed by MP Libor Vondráček (SPD/Svobodní). Its aim is to align the legal framework with the current practice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the proposers, this will prevent any ambiguities in the appointment of representatives of the Czech Republic to international organizations. The amendment is part of a larger accompanying amendment to the new law on civil servants, with which the government wants to replace the current service law. After being approved by the Chamber of Deputies, the proposal has now been sent to the Senate, which will decide on its further fate. If approved, it will then be submitted to the President of the Republic.

The debate about the President's powers is not new in Czech politics. In the past, there have been repeated disputes over the appointment of ambassadors, ministers, or university professors. Therefore, critics say that the current amendment opens up another question: where do the President's powers end and where do the government's competencies begin? If the opposition were to file a motion with the Constitutional Court, the judges would have to assess whether the change represents only a legislative clarification of established practice, or whether it infringes on the constitutionally defined position of the President of the Republic. The decision could have significant implications not only for the field of foreign service, but also for the future interpretation of the distribution of powers between the constitutional institutions of the Czech Republic.

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