Czech constitutional court orders government to let president attend NATO summit

PRAGUE, June 24 - The Czech Constitutional Court ordered the government on Wednesday to allow President Petr Pavel to attend the NATO summit in Turkey next month, issuing an injunction in response to a request from the head of state.

The government, led by the populist ANO party of Prime Minister Andrej Babis, had said on Monday it would break with tradition and not let the president lead the Czech delegation. Pavel has had rocky relations with Babis' government.

While the government sets and conducts Czech foreign policy, the Czech constitution also stipulates that the president represents the country abroad. Pavel argued that by not including him in the delegation, his powers were being impeded.

Announcing the ruling at a televised briefing, Judge Pavel Samal said the government and foreign ministry must inform NATO and organisers of the July 7-8 summit in Ankara "without delay" that the president will be part of the Czech delegation.

Pavel, who is strongly pro-NATO and pro-EU, was formerly the top commander of the Czech army and also led NATO's military committee in 2015-2018. He has sometimes clashed with Babis, who is a fan of U.S. President Donald Trump and whose government includes far-right and eurosceptic parties.

The decision means that the government must accredit Pavel for the summit by Friday's deadline, the court said.

The injunction is a provisional measure to ensure that Pavel does not miss the July summit and does not prejudge a final decision in the case, expected at a later date, on the limits of presidential authority.

Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, who heads the right-wing Motorists party, said earlier this year he would make Pavel's life difficult after the president refused to appoint his party's initial nominee as foreign minister.

While presidents have led Czech delegations at almost all NATO summits, Babis has argued that the government needs space to explain to allies its policies, including not meeting a NATO target for spending at least 2% of national output on defence.

There was no immediate government reaction to Wednesday's court ruling. REUTERS