Final Word from Tuesday, June 27, 2023

ANO has wrapped itself in the Constitution and is vowing to call a vote of no confidence in the government if PM Petr Fiala doesn't reject the migration pact on the level of EU prime ministers. The pact infringes on Czech sovereignty, according to MP Radek Vondráček of ANO. Yet ANO is also promising that a majority of its MPs will vote for the Defense Cooperation Agreement with the U.S., although many of its potential voters are convinced that it too infringes on Czech sovereignty. Lawyer Zdeněk Koudelka argues that it transfers sovereignty by waiving the right to prosecute U.S. soldiers who commit crimes against Czechs. As such, he says, passage should require a constitutional majority. A clever strategy on the part of ANO could be to make sure only enough of its MPs are present to allow the document to pass with at most 119 votes, thereby leaving the door open for a constitutional challenge. Some of its MPs could even then join with SPD to file a constitutional complaint. [ Czech Republic patriotism United States DCA patriots nationalism ]