Tens of thousands of people rallied in the Czech Republic on Sunday to support President Petr Pavel amid his dispute with Foreign Minister Petr Macinka.

The conflict escalated after Pavel accused Macinka of attempting to blackmail him over a cabinet appointment.

At the center of the row is Pavel’s refusal to approve Filip Turek as a government minister due to past scandals.

Organizers estimated 80,000 to 90,000 people attended the rally, waving Czech, European and Ukrainian flags and condemning what they called an unacceptable threat to democratic norms, the DW has reported.

Macinka has denied wrongdoing, describing his messages to the president as part of standard political negotiation, while Pavel publicly thanked demonstrators for defending decency and democratic values.