Final Word from Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Pres. Petr Pavel lost the battle to attend the Nato summit, but he could still win the war if Chief Justice Josef Baxa of the Constitutional Court issues an edict in his favor. At the very least, Pavel is already winning the PR battle. Pavel also won a vicarious battle at the EU summit on Thur. when, at least according to PM Andrej Babiš, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz objected to entering into negotiations with Russia now about ending the war in Ukraine. This is in line with the approach Pavel presented to The Guardian in late May of first taking a tougher military stance toward Russia and making a "final push" on U.S. and European sanctions to bring Russia to the table. A third win for Pavel within days came on Thur. when the Czech National Bank raised interest rates and kept the differential with the euro where it was before. Pavel is the Euro president, and any institutional decision to align the CR more with Europe sets him further apart from the Babiš government. As long as the situation in Europe doesn't get considerably worse, it's in Pavel's interest for his battles with ANO, SPD and Moto to continue right up until the presidential elections in 2028. [ jurisdictional complaint Ankara Turkey July CNB ]
Glossary of difficult words
edict - an official order or proclamation issued by a person in authority;
vicarious - experienced as a result of watching, listening to or reading about the activities of other people, rather than by doing the activities oneself.