PRAGUE, Czech – Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has confirmed that he formally proposed a controversial lawmaker accused of rape and domestic violence to serve as environment minister, deepening political tensions within the country’s new coalition government.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Babiš said he submitted the nomination of Filip Turek, a far-right politician and former race car driver, despite firm resistance from President Petr Pavel, who has refused to approve the appointment.
The standoff has exposed cracks within the coalition formed after Babiš’s ANO party won the October election and partnered with two Eurosceptic groups—the far-right SPD and the rightwing Motorists party.
Why the president rejected the nomination
Turek, 40, is currently under investigation over allegations of rape and domestic violence following a complaint lodged by a former girlfriend. Czech media have also resurfaced his misogynistic and racist social media posts, alongside past claims—later shelved by police—that he owned Nazi paraphernalia and made Nazi salutes.
President Pavel, a former NATO general, said after meeting Turek before Christmas that the allegations and past conduct raised serious constitutional concerns.
“The president is deeply convinced that a person behaving this way cannot be a minister in the Czech government,” Pavel’s office said, adding that Turek’s actions cast doubt on his loyalty to democratic values enshrined in the constitution.
Babiš, however, revealed he personally lobbied the president to reconsider.
“I tried for an hour to persuade Mr President to wave it aside and give Mr Turek a chance, but he refused,” Babiš said.
The Motorists party had initially pushed for Turek to become foreign minister in the EU and NATO member state of more than 10 million people, but retreated amid public backlash. They later nominated him for the environment docket instead.
Until a final decision is reached, Motorists chairman Petr Macinka is serving in a dual role as both foreign and environment minister.
Constitutional lawyer Jan Kysela told AFP that while the Czech constitution requires the president to appoint ministers nominated by the prime minister, the wording leaves enough ambiguity for Pavel’s refusal to stand.
“The president has many good reasons why he doesn’t want to name him,” Kysela said, adding that the move was not legally excessive.
The controversy comes as Babiš himself faces trial over alleged EU subsidy fraud, while SPD leader and newly elected parliamentary speaker Tomio Okamura is expected to stand trial over incitement to hatred—fueling criticism that political elites may shield one another using parliamentary immunity.
