Czech President Petr Pavel. [Reuters]
Czech President Petr Pavel. [Reuters]

Czech President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babis have taken their dispute over who will represent the country at next month's NATO summit to the Constitutional Court, in a power struggle over diplomatic and security representation in the parliamentary republic.

Pavel filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, arguing that Babis had violated presidential authority by excluding him from the Czech delegation to the NATO summit, according to DPA and other news agencies.

Pavel said he should represent the Czech Republic at the summit, noting that presidents had led the delegation at 19 of the past 20 NATO summits. While the Czech president serves as head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces, effective authority over foreign policy rests with the cabinet.

Babis said Monday that this year's NATO summit was a "special meeting" and that he intended to attend in person. He cited the need for the government to explain directly why Czech defense spending falls short of NATO targets.

NATO member states have agreed to spend 5 percent of gross domestic product on direct and indirect defense by 2035, but Babis cut this year's defense budget to 1.8 percent — below even the alliance's existing 2 percent target. Pavel, a former chief of the Czech armed forces and chairman of the NATO Military Committee, is widely regarded as a strong advocate for Ukraine support and NATO cooperation.

The two have also clashed over aid to Ukraine. Pavel has championed the "Czech Initiative," a program to pool Western funds to supply ammunition to Ukraine, but Babis halted contributions from the Czech national budget after taking office.

Babis, who returned to power in December last year, has been at odds with the centrist Pavel ever since. The two previously clashed when Pavel refused to appoint a cabinet candidate proposed by Babis, citing an investigation into allegations of neo-Nazi sympathies and racial discrimination.


rim@heraldcorp.com