Today’s rally in support of Pavel extended to Prague’s Wenceslas Square

Support for President Petr Pavel in the conflict with Foreign Minister Petr Macinka is continuing to grow. Owing to the large turnout expected, the rally planned for today in Prague has been expanded.

The association Milion chvilek has extended the demonstration planned for today (Sunday) in Prague. Due to strong public interest, the rally will take place not only on Old Town Square but will also extend to the lower part of Wenceslas Square.

The gathering in support of President Petr Pavel begins today at 3 p.m. and is a response to the dispute between the head of state and the leader of the Motoristé party, Petr Macinka. The trigger was the failure to appoint MP Filip Turek as environment minister. The event was originally planned solely for Old Town Square. On Saturday morning, however, the chair of Milion chvilek, Mikuláš Minář, announced that, because of the large expected turnout, two large video screens would also be set up in the lower part of Wenceslas Square.

Source: Stojíme za prezidentem

Minář said he would present concrete demands at the rally as well as the association’s next steps. As early as Saturday, he estimated that between 30,000 and 50,000 people from across the Czech Republic could come to Prague. In addition, many participants from the capital itself were expected, Minář wrote on the platform X.

A clarifying meeting between Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is scheduled to take place on Wednesday at Prague Castle. During the week, Babiš said that the government, made up of ANO, SPD and Motoristé sobě, had no interest in a trench war with Prague Castle (the seat of the president). Macinka’s messages were, he said, poorly worded, while he also expressed understanding for the disappointment within Motoristé sobě over Turek’s non-appointment.

The online campaign Stojíme za prezidentem, which calls for support in the conflict with Macinka, focuses on values such as freedom, democracy, respect for the rule of law, and the Czech Republic’s anchoring in the EU and NATO — values that make the country secure and confident. By today at 5:30 a.m., more than 570,000 people had already signed the petition, according to the campaign’s website.

Milion chvilek pro demokracii
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