A preliminary injunction eases a constitutional standoff between President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš over who should represent the Czech Republic abroad
The Czech Constitutional Court has intervened in a high-profile dispute between President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, ruling that the president should be allowed to attend the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara.
The decision, issued as a preliminary injunction, does not fully settle the broader constitutional conflict between the head of state and the government. But it partially resolves the immediate question of whether Pavel, a former senior NATO official and one of the Czech Republic’s most prominent pro-alliance voices, can take part in the July summit.
The dispute began after Babiš’s government moved to exclude Pavel from the Czech delegation, arguing that the cabinet is responsible for foreign and defense policy and should therefore lead the country’s representation at the meeting. The decision broke with long-standing Czech practice, under which presidents have usually attended NATO summits since the country joined the alliance in 1999.
Pavel challenged the move, saying it undermined the constitutional role of the presidency in representing the state internationally. His appeal turned the political disagreement into a legal test over the balance of power between Prague Castle and the cabinet.
The court’s injunction means the government must allow Pavel’s participation while judges continue to examine the wider competence dispute. In practical terms, it prevents the president’s exclusion from the summit before the court has time to issue a final ruling.
The case has exposed deeper tensions inside Czech politics. Pavel and Babiš have clashed over foreign policy, defense priorities and the country’s posture toward NATO and Ukraine. Pavel has consistently supported a strong Czech role within the alliance, while Babiš’s government has faced scrutiny over defense spending and its approach to international commitments.
For NATO, the dispute comes at a sensitive moment. The Ankara summit is expected to focus on defense spending, deterrence and continued security challenges linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Who represents Prague at the table is therefore more than a matter of protocol; it signals how the Czech Republic presents its strategic priorities to its allies.
Babiš has accepted the court’s interim decision, but the underlying constitutional question remains unresolved. The final ruling could shape future relations between Czech presidents and governments, particularly in foreign and security policy.
For now, the injunction gives Pavel a diplomatic victory and ensures that the Czech Republic’s president will be present at one of the alliance’s most important annual meetings. But the political battle in Prague is likely to continue well beyond the NATO summit.
