Final Word from Thursday, April 9, 2026
After Joe Biden won the U.S. presidential elections in Nov. 2020, Donald Trump's refusal to concede defeat led to concerns that he might not leave the White House on Jan. 20 and would have to be physically removed. What would happen if Pres. Petr Pavel followed through on his announcement yesterday that he intends to lead the Czech delegation to the Nato summit in Ankara in July? Under Art. 63 of the Constitution, the president represents the country abroad, but any decision he makes in this capacity requires the co-signature of the PM or a designated minister. Any solo effort by Pavel to dictate the makeup of the delegation could therefore be seen as a violation of the Constitution. But the president, under Art. 65, can't be detained or prosecuted, so he would have to be let onto the airplane if he showed up uninvited. Then it would be up to the Turkish hosts to decide whether to find a seat for him. It sounds absurd, but that's what it looks like when a pop president puts media attention over statesmanship. [ Czech Republic Turkey Andrej Babiš Petr Macinka Article United States ]
Glossary of difficult words
the limelight - the focus of public attention;
to steal/hog the limelight - to draw the focus of attention to oneself at the expense of others;
to concede - to admit (defeat) in a match or contest;
to detain - to keep (someone) from proceeding by holding him or her back.