On Sunday evening, demonstrations in support of Petr Pavel took place in nearly 400 towns and cities across Czech Republic. The protests followed his dispute with the governing coalition party known as Motorists (Zmotoryzowani).

The conflict centers on the party’s push to install Filip Turek as environment minister. The party has signaled it will put forward a new nominee, whose name is expected to be submitted to the president via Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

Pavel has opposed Turek’s appointment, arguing that some of Turek’s social media posts are outrageous and show a lack of respect for the values that Czech officials should uphold.

In Brno, around 10,000 people joined a pro-Pavel demonstration. In Ostrava, one of the city’s main squares was completely filled with participants, and opponents of the president also appeared; verbal clashes broke out, and police reported opening two proceedings related to disturbing public order. Demonstrations were also held in Olomouc, Liberec, Plzeň, Ústí nad Labem, Kolín, Jihlava, and Zlín.

“This is no longer just a dispute about the president. It is about the direction Czechia will take,” wrote Mikuláš Minář on the platform X. He announced that another rally of Pavel’s supporters would be held on March 21 in Prague. “We must clearly show that we are not Hungarians or Slovaks, and we will not allow a small group of oligarchs, extremists, and uncultured people to take away our country’s future. This is the moment to demonstrate the strength of civil society,” he added.

Minář’s Milion chvil pro demokracii (Million Moments for Democracy) has previously organized mass protests against former president Miloš Zeman, with attendance reportedly reaching as high as 250,000.

The dispute between Pavel and Petr Macinka intensified in late January, when the president described text messages sent by the minister to one of Pavel’s advisers as an attempt at pressure. The minister threatened that Pavel would not head the Czech delegation to a NATO summit and later said the foreign ministry would ignore the head of state and the presidential office if the president did not meet expectations.

In response, the opposition demanded Macinka’s resignation and forced a no-confidence vote in parliament, but the motion ultimately failed.