In late January and early February 2026, the Czech Republic experienced one of the most acute domestic political crises in recent years. The conflict between President Petr Pavel and Foreign Minister Petr Macháček, which erupted just a month after the formation of the new coalition government, quickly escalated from a personnel dispute into a large-scale confrontation between institutions of power, affecting society and causing concern beyond the country’s borders. The scandal was accompanied by accusations of blackmail, mass protests, petitions and the threat of a vote of no confidence in the government.
The new Czech government was formed at the end of 2025 after Andrej Babiš’s ANO party won the parliamentary elections, with Babiš returning to the post of prime minister. The coalition brought together ANO and the far-right Motorists for Themselves party, a political force linked to the European group Patriots for Europe, which is associated with Marine Le Pen in Brussels.
The leader of the Motorists, Petr Matzinka, a protégé of former President Václav Klaus, was appointed to the key post of foreign minister and also became acting environment minister. Right from the start, it was clear that the government’s foreign policy would be a sharp contrast to that of President Pavel, a former NATO general and staunch supporter of the EU, transatlantic cooperation and Ukraine.
The crisis was triggered by the attempt to appoint Filip Turek, honorary chairman of the Motorists, as Minister of the Environment. Turek is an extremely controversial figure. In the past, he has repeatedly been at the centre of scandals involving Nazi symbols, homophobic and extremist statements on social media, and other incidents that have drawn sharp criticism from human rights activists and liberal politicians. Turek himself denied authorship of some of the posts, but the reputational risks remained obvious.
President Pavel rejected Turek’s candidacy several times, stating that it contradicted democratic values and damaged the Czech Republic’s international image. It was this rejection that became the starting point for open conflict between the head of state and the foreign minister.
The climax came on 27 January 2026, when President Pavel called an emergency press conference and publicly accused Matzinka of attempted blackmail. According to the president, the minister had sent text messages to his adviser Petr Kolarz, insisting on Turek’s approval. In his messages, Matzinka hinted that if the president agreed, he would ‘get peace of mind,’ but if he refused, ‘bridges would be burned in such a way that it would go down in political science textbooks.’
Pavel called these actions ‘extremely serious’ and ‘completely unacceptable,’ announced the possibility of criminal charges, and forwarded the materials to the police for investigation. This step was unprecedented, as it was the first time in recent history that a Czech president had accused a sitting minister of blackmail at such a high level.
Macínek rejected the accusations, calling the text messages ‘normal political negotiation tactics,’ and in turn accused President Pavel of exceeding his constitutional powers. Moreover, he announced that his ministry would ignore the president’s office, effectively paralysing institutional cooperation.
Matzinka then took a series of steps that intensified criticism of him. These included cancelling human rights support programmes established during the Václav Havel era, blocking diplomatic appointments, lifting restrictions on travel by Russian diplomats, and even proposing that President Pavel not represent the Czech Republic at the NATO summit. These actions provoked a sharp reaction from the opposition, which accused the foreign minister of undermining the country’s foreign policy and departing from democratic traditions.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, whose government depends on the support of the Motorists, attempted to play the role of mediator. He called the text messages ‘unfortunate,’ invited Pavel and Matzinka to a joint meeting, and publicly refused to dismiss the minister, stating that cooperation with him was ‘excellent.’ At the same time, Babiš claimed that he was not aware of the exact content of the messages. Macinka indirectly questioned this statement, having previously declared his full support for the prime minister.
The conflict quickly spread beyond the elite. On 1 February 2026, between 80,000 and 90,000 people gathered in Prague’s Old Town Square. The rally was organised by the Million Moments for Democracy movement. The participants expressed their support for the president, demanded Macinka’s resignation and called for the country to maintain its pro-European course. At the same time, petitions in defence of Pavel were being signed throughout the Czech Republic, with hundreds of thousands of signatures collected.
Opposition parties initiated a vote of no confidence in the government. Although the chances of it being passed are slim due to the coalition’s majority, the very fact of the vote underscores the depth of the crisis.
The unfolding scandal has revealed a deep institutional divide in Czech politics. It threatens the stability of Babiš’s government and could affect the entire term of the new coalition.
At the international level, the conflict is already raising questions about the future of the Czech Republic’s foreign policy and its role in the EU and NATO. The confrontation between the pro-European president and the Eurosceptic government risks weakening the country’s position in the European arena and undermining the trust of its partners.
The conflict remains unresolved for now. Its further development will depend on the results of the police investigation, possible legal action and the ability of Czech politicians to find a compromise. However, it is already clear that this is not so much a personal dispute as a struggle over the direction in which the Czech Republic will move in the coming years.