Prague, 2 February 2026 (dpa/MIA) - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Czech Republic on Sunday to show support for liberal President Petr Pavel.

They responded to a call from the initiative "Million Moments for Democracy" and gathered in two large squares in the city centre of Prague.

The background is an increasingly escalating dispute between the president and the new right-wing government led by billionaire Andrej Babiš. The organizers of the rally spoke of 80,000 to 90,000 participants. The people chanted slogans like "We are not alone!"

Bitter dispute over ministerial appointment

The president refuses to appoint the honorary chairman of the Motorists for Themselves party, Filip Turek, as environment minister.

Pavel explained this with controversial statements that Turek had previously made, which he said were incompatible with the role of a minister in a democracy.

He publicly accused the foreign minister and Turek's party colleague, Petr Macinka, of trying to blackmail him over the issue.

The 40-year-old Turek is said to have made racist and sexist remarks in social media posts.

Pavel thanked the demonstrators for their support on X on Sunday. He said it was by no means naive to want to defend values such as decency, truth and respect.

Former NATO General Pavel has been at the helm of the Czech Republic since March 2023. The 64-year-old was directly elected by the people.

Opposition plans vote of no confidence

The opposition plans to file a vote of no confidence in the government on Tuesday due to the allegation of exerting pressure on the president. However, the chances of success are slim.

The coalition of Babiš's ANO (Yes) party, the Motorists and the ultra-right Freedom and Direct Democracy party holds a majority of 108 of the 200 seats in the lower house, or Chamber of Deputies.