Czech political turmoil over public broadcaster funding and president's constitutional court case

Protests have erupted in Prague over the government's plan to drastically change the financing of Czech public media, which officials say threatens the independence of Czech Television and Radio. The board of Czech Television convened to issue a joint statement warning that the government's financial intervention poses a risk to democratic media structures.

At the same time, senior politicians have criticized Foreign Minister Petr Macinka’s claim of an “constitutional coup” and President Petr Pavel’s decision to seek relief from the Constitutional Court after being excluded from a NATO summit. Critics argue the president’s legal action is politically motivated and question the court’s role in such disputes.