Final Word from Thursday, June 11, 2026
There was speculation after the elections in Oct. that ANO, SPD and Moto would agree on a quick amendment to the conflict-of-interest law so that Andrej Babiš could satisfy Pres. Petr Pavel's demands in terms of Babiš's conflict of interest. A quick amendment wasn't very realistic, because the legislative process would have presumably lasted longer than Pavel's patience. As it turned out, Pavel surprised almost everyone by accepting Babiš's vague promise to resolve the conflict and promptly appointed Babiš as PM. Six months later, what was mere speculation is now coming true in the form of a conflict-of-interest amendment from four coalition MPs. It carves out exemptions for Babiš and his companies. If it passes, Babiš might not even need his new trust fund. This of course casts a bad light on Babiš, but also on Pavel. He could have stopped Babiš and has never satisfactorily explained why he didn't. It seems increasingly likely that someone who wanted Babiš as PM exerted some kind of pressure on the president. [ Motorists RSVP Trust ]
Glossary of difficult words
to twist someone's arm - to persuade or pressure someone into doing something he or she is initially unwilling to do;
to carve out - to separate, exempt or exclude a specific asset, entity, liability or person from a broader legal agreement or rule.