Tens of thousands of Czechs rallied on Sunday to support President Petr Pavel in his dispute with the country's foreign minister.

In an escalating rift with the government, ⁠Pavel last ‍week accused Foreign Minister Petr Macinka of attempted blackmail over a cabinet post.

At the core of the dispute is Pavel's continued opposition to Filip Turek's nomination as a government minister due to his involvement in a series of scandals.

Pavel thanks demonstrators

Police did not provide an official estimate of the crowd, but organizers said between 80,000 and 90,000 people attended the rally. Some participants waved Czech, European and Ukrainian flags.

"The unprecedented blackmail of the president by Petr Macinka is absolutely unacceptable. This has no place in a democratic culture," the independent Million Moments for Democracy movement said on Facebook.

In a post on X, Pavel thanked the demonstrators for their support. The president said he values people who are "willing to stand up for decency, truth, solidarity and mutual respect."

"I deeply appreciate all those who do not remain indifferent to what is happening around them and who feel responsible for the state of our country," he added. 

Czech president accuses foreign minister of blackmail

On Tuesday, the Czech president made public the messages Macinka had sent, describing them as blackmail.

Macinka, now serving as both foreign and environment minister, threatened the president with facing consequences if Pavel keeps refusing to appoint Filip Turek.

"If I have Turek at the Environment Ministry, he [President Pavel] can have peace of mind. If not, I will burn our bridges in a way that will enter the textbooks of political science as an extreme case of cohabitation," Macinka wrote in one message.

Macinka called the text messages part of a typical political negotiation.

"Politics is not a discipline for princesses… it is a very demanding discipline. Everyone who is in top politics should show greater resilience," said Macinka on Czech television on Sunday.

Who is Filip Turek?

Turek is the candidate for the post of Czech environment minister put forward by the conservative, eurosceptic Motorists for Themselves party — one of three parties in Prime Minister Andrej Babis's conservative coalition.

Turek has faced criticisms after posts from his Facebook page were allegedly found to be racist, homophobic and sexist.

The politician has also faced media scrutiny for making a ‌Nazi salute and posting Nazi memorabilia. However, he has put his ‌behaviour down ⁠to bad taste and denies accusations that he is a racist or a Nazi sympathizer.

Pavel, who holds veto power over ministerial appointments, has for months blocked Turek's appointment, saying his actions "raise doubts about his loyalty to the values set out in the Czech constitution."

On December 15, Pavel swore in a new government after Babis and his populist ANO movement won big in October's election. Babis then formed a majority coalition with two smaller political groups: the anti-migrant Freedom and Direct Democracy Party and the Motorists for Themselves.

The coalition's agenda includes steering the country away from supporting Ukraine and rejecting key European Union policies. In contrast, Pavel, a retired army general, is a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion. 

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko