Blackmail claim rocks Czech government as president names foreign minister

Czech President Petr Pavel has accused Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists’ Party) of attempting to blackmail him in connection with the proposed appointment of Filip Turek as Minister of the Environment.

The president disclosed the allegation in a post on X, Caliber.Az reports.

Slova ministra zahraničních věcí Petra Macinky v textových zprávách, které jsem obdržel prostřednictvím svého poradce Petra Koláře, považuji za pokus o vydírání. Takové jednání pokládám za nepřípustné a v našich demokratických podmínkách za naprosto neakceptovatelné. pic.twitter.com/TYXdtkxAKn

— Petr Pavel (@prezidentpavel) January 27, 2026

Pavel said Macinka had relayed messages to him through a presidential adviser that he described as “extremely serious” and constituting an attempt at blackmail. According to the president, Macinka had been seeking for an extended period to influence his decision regarding Turek’s appointment.

“Until now, I treated all these attempts with indulgence. However, last night he sent me two text messages through my adviser Petr Kolář — despite knowing the address of the Office of the President,” Pavel said. “I consider the information contained in them to be extremely serious. Therefore, I decided to publish them in full. <…> I consider the words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the text messages to be an attempt at blackmail. I find this unacceptable and absolutely intolerable in our democratic conditions.”

In the messages, Macinka reportedly pressed for Turek’s appointment to the Ministry of the Environment, stating that “he will be able to sleep peacefully when Turek is at the Ministry of the Environment.” He also referred to what he described as the prime minister’s support, mentioned the position of the Institute of International Relations (IIR), and cited an upcoming trip to Brussels, saying he “needs to know where he stands.”

“If he truly has the prime minister’s support in his actions, then Petr Macinka’s statements are not only an illustration of the new government’s approach to the distribution of power within our constitutional system, but also evidence that fundamental issues of our foreign and security policy have become hostages to personal sympathies and interests,” Pavel said.

The president added that attempts at intimidation would not influence him. “I will continue to be guided first and foremost by the Constitution and the interests of the Czech Republic,” he said, adding that he has filed a report with security authorities and intends to submit the messages to lawyers to assess whether they constitute the criminal offense of blackmail.

By Vafa Guliyeva