Babiš accidentally reveals a cheat sheet on video with instructions on how to attack President Pavel

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, in his traditional Sunday video on social media, apparently accidentally showed viewers a sheet of working notes titled "How to Communicate with PP Going Forward" (Petr Pavel). The prime minister was holding the paper and reading text from the back side, without noticing that the camera was also capturing the front of the document.

The notes, right under the heading "What angers PP — hurts him," state: "He is the leader of the opposition, he speaks for the opposition. He fully takes on its role. The opposition in parliament just repeats after him. This is the role he wants to avoid."

The next point on the communication card reads: "He is under the influence of his entourage." A clarification adds: "We don't need to say this directly — that would be another attack. Likewise, we don't need to name names." The text further down is illegible.

The document's author also advises the prime minister not to escalate the conflict with the president any further. "Arguing with him gets us nothing, people don't like conflicts. IGNORE as much as possible, don't be (illegible), don't attack first, be reactive, because he won't stop anyway," the introductory part of the card states.

Portraying the president as an opposition leader under the influence of advisers is in line with what Babiš and other government politicians have been saying recently. In a recent interview with iDnes, for instance, Babiš said: "He's following instructions. His entourage decided this would be the best election campaign strategy for him, so that's apparently what they advised him, and the president listens to them. He probably thinks that standing up against our government will help him."

This is not the first time Babiš's working notes have ended up in public view. Back in November, the contents of notes he brought to a meeting with Petr Pavel at Prague Castle became known. Shortly afterward, at the same location, current Culture Minister Otto Klempíř also accidentally revealed his own notes.

The conflict between the government and the president has been ongoing since the cabinet was formed, when Pavel refused to appoint Filip Turek, a lawmaker from the Motorists party, as minister. Tensions escalated further over the president's participation in the recent NATO summit in Ankara, which he attended despite the government's position, thanks to a preliminary ruling by the Constitutional Court. The court is expected to hear the actual dispute over presidential powers this autumn.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz