Final Word from Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The Senate voted on July 24, 2019, to impeach Pres. Miloš Zeman for seven perceived constitutional violations and eight other illegal actions. The most serious charge was listed in the articles of impeachment under I. F.: The president of the republic exerted informal pressure on Chief Justice Josef Baxa of the Supreme Administrative Court on May 29, 2018, with the objective of influencing the decision of the Court in a matter involving Zeman and informally offered to make Baxa chief justice of the Constitutional Court if he ruled in Zeman's favor. Baxa had gone public with this allegation in Jan. of last year, after it was already clear that Zeman would not appoint him to head the Constitutional Court. The incumbent chief justice of that court, Pavel Rychetský, threw Baxa overboard on Jan. 25, 2019. Not even over dinner did Baxa tell him about Zeman's offer, Rychetský said on Czech TV. Those who are surprised that Zeman decided last week to give Rychetský a Masaryk medal shouldn't be. [ Czech Republic complaint Television ]