Final Word from Monday, November 3, 2025
Ex-Constitutional Court Chief Justice Pavel Rychetský, a long-time confidant of ex-Pres. Miloš Zeman until they had a falling-out in Zeman's second term, is now sending words of advice to Zeman's successor, Petr Pavel. Rychetský's main line of reasoning, as expounded yesterday on Czech TV, is that Pavel is the king of the hill until he appoints the PM, after which the president must accept the PM's nominees for the cabinet. Rychetský said that if he were the president, he probably wouldn't appoint Andrej Babiš as PM in the first place, in which case the problem of Filip Turek as foreign minister would be avoided. Like defense-industry lobbyist Petr Kolář before him, Rychetský said he wouldn't jump to conclusions about how the situation will develop. The president can appoint two governments that don't get confirmation, he stressed. If Pres. Pavel is looking for a way to give his favorite, STAN Chair Vít Rakušan, the first chance to form a government, Rychetský has now supplied fairly explicit instructions. [ Czech Republic coalition Motorists ANO Televison OVM ]
Glossary of difficult words
confidant - a person with whom one shares a secret or private matter, trusting him or her not to repeat it to others;
falling-out - a quarrel or disagreement;
to expound - to present and explain (a theory or idea) in detail;
king of the hill - a person who is in command or is very successful;
to jump to conclusions - to make a hasty judgment before learning or considering all the facts.