The Czech Constitutional Court has ordered the government to ensure the president's participation in the NATO summit
The Czech Constitutional Court issued a ruling requiring Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government to allow President Petr Pavel to join the state delegation at the July NATO summit in Ankara.
The Cabinet of Ministers must immediately fulfill all organizational requirements, including providing transportation and securing official accreditation for the head of state.
The justices emphasized that the presence of the country’s leader at international meetings of this level is an established state practice that must be upheld without reservation. Pavel filed the lawsuit after the government unilaterally decided to send only the prime minister, the defense minister, and the foreign minister to the summit. The president also filed a separate petition regarding the delineation of constitutional powers in the area of the republic’s foreign representation; the court will announce its decision on this matter at a later date.
This was reported by the newspaper Aktuálně.cz.
Earlier, Czech President Petr Pavel stated that he would appeal to the Constitutional Court if Prime Minister Andrej Babiš blocked his participation in the July NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara.
Czech President Petr Pavel criticized the decision by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government to halt financial support for the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine.
