They included Filip Turek, the candidate for Czech environment minister from the Euroskeptic Motorists for Themselves party, one of Mr Babis’ two coalition partners.
Mr Turek, an ex-racing driver, has faced intense media scrutiny over allegedly racist, sexist and homophobic Facebook posts, multiple Hitler salutes, and an incident involving a Saudi diplomat and a spent ammunition.
Motorists originally put forward him for the post of Foreign Minister and party leader Petr Macinka for Environment Minister. However, the names were reversed after a last-minute change on Wednesday morning.
Powell rejects Turek for cabinet post
But even this was not enough to satisfy the President.
“The president’s position is that he does not think Mr. Turek should be in the cabinet,” Andrzej Babis told reporters after his latest meeting with Mr. Pavel.
“I will now go back to talk to the motorists’ party and we will decide how to proceed,” Mr Babis said, adding that President Powell would talk to all ministerial candidates over the next two weeks.
Snowflakes fell on the edge of the microphone in the courtyard of Prague Castle as Mr Babis described what would happen in the month before Christmas – by which time he is expected to be named prime minister.
However, festive cheer is in short supply.
Accusations of racism, sexism and homophobia
Mr. Turek’s difficulties began when the daily newspaper Denik N Published a series of screenshots of what it said were posts and comments that had been removed from his Facebook account.
In 2010, when a group of neo-Nazi supporters were given long prison sentences for an arson attack on the home of a Roma family in which a two-year-old girl was badly burned, Turek reportedly wrote that there must have been ‘mitigating circumstances’ because the family were Roma.
claimed in 2015 Denik NIt appears that Turek used the N-word in reference to US President Barack Obama and later reportedly referred to an African-American area of Los Angeles as “Planet of the Apes”.
A few years later, when the Munich City Council asked for permission to illuminate the Allianz Arena in rainbow colors during Euro 2020 as a show of support for sexual minorities, Turek reportedly shared a post on the story, commenting “Looks like the last proud German died in 1945.”
The list kept increasing.
Turek denies he is a Nazi supporter
Denik N Turek claimed there were several posts in which he referred to himself as “Woodsey” (the Czech word for Fuhrer) as well as “Duce” and referred to his Prague apartment as the “Eagle’s Nest” (a reference to Hitler’s mountain retreat in Bavaria).
Turek categorically denies allegations that he is a racist or a Nazi supporter.
basically describing Denik N As the story became a hostile media hit job, he denied writing some comments he later deleted and asked for proof. Others he described as his own brand of “black humor.” Some, he said, were the result of lending his phone to someone at a bar.
Mr. Turek similarly dismissed several photographs of himself giving the Nazi salute as a joke, and not meant seriously.
Will Turek reconsider his nomination?
However, most agree that Turek, who boasts a collection of luxury cars and a deep hatred of the EU’s Green Deal, is hardly suitable for environment minister.
Jindrich Sidlo, a well-known Czech journalist and political commentator, said, “Above all, Filip Turek himself would not like to be in the Ministry of the Environment.”
“This is not what he dreamed of — to travel the world, to feel like he belonged to high society and to take part in shaping history,” Sidlow told DW. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he ultimately reconsiders his nomination.”
Turek’s ties to scandals continue to grow
President Powell had previously stated that Filip Turek’s unacceptable comments were the main obstacle to his appointment.
However, Turek also admitted placing a used rifle cartridge and a drawing of a gallows on the roof of a Saudi embassy employee’s car following the dispute. He claimed that the man was harassing his girlfriend.
Meanwhile, eagle-eyed journalists noticed that the notes Babis was carrying on Wednesday revealed that the president also had a problem with Turek admitting to driving at speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph) on a Czech motorway, allegedly failing to declare assets worth €3 million ($3.47 million) and claiming he built a garage without planning permission.
What does the Constitution say?
However, some say the Czech constitution does not give President Pavel much room to maneuver once Mr. Babis is formally named prime minister.
“So far, the consensus among constitutional lawyers and politicians has been that the president can express his wishes and preferences, but he must accept the candidate who has been officially proposed by the prime minister,” said journalist Petr Kambursky, a commentator. lidov novini Newspaper.
“The government is formed as a result of parliamentary elections, and is accountable to the parliament,” Kambursky told DW. He said that the Czech President, although directly elected by the people, has no authority to make decisions on the government or its policies.
Throughout the scandal, motorists have insisted that they would walk out if Mr Turek was not allowed to join the government.
However, observers say they are unlikely to deal with that threat.
But it certainly increases pressure on Andrej Babis, who faces a separate conflict with President Powell over his as-yet-unresolved conflict of interest.
Edited by: Angiel Flanagan
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