Czech Parliament Transfers President's Diplomatic Appointment Authority to Foreign Minister

The lower chamber of the Czech parliament approved a legislative amendment transferring the president’s authority to appoint and dismiss permanent mission chiefs to international organizations to the Foreign Minister. The bill will now be on the Senate's agenda.

Scraper SystemJuly 01, 2026, 11:12 PM

Czech Parliament Transfers President's Diplomatic Appointment Authority to Foreign Minister

The lower house of the Czech parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, approved on Wednesday a legislative amendment transferring the president's authority to appoint and dismiss heads of permanent missions to international organizations to the Foreign Minister.

The amendment was proposed by Libor Vondráček, a deputy from the SPD (Freedom and Direct Democracy) movement, a coalition partner. According to Czech Television, the regulation will allow the head of permanent representations to be appointed and dismissed by the Foreign Minister. The ministry had already begun issuing credentials to mission chiefs. For ambassadors abroad, the president will continue to issue credentials.

Vondráček's proposal, which passed in the chamber, drew sharp criticism from the opposition. The opposition argues that the ruling coalition is settling scores with the head of state. Former Deputy Prime Minister Vít Rakušan suggested that the government wants to increase its influence over the diplomatic service.

The legislative amendment approved by the lower house will now be considered by the upper chamber, the Senate.

NATO Summit Tension

Last week, the government determined the delegation for the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, but excluded President Petr Pavel, who had chaired these delegations in recent years. This time, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš will represent the Czech Republic at the summit. After Pavel appealed to the Constitutional Court, the court instructed the government to accredit the president for the summit. Although the government provided accreditation, it left Pavel out of the delegation and allocated a separate plane for him and his aides for the summit.

Czech Parliament Transfers President's Diplomatic Appointment Authority to Foreign Minister