Babiš defended his absence with parliamentary tradition. However, Benda and Okamura shot that down.

During a vote on abolishing fees for Czech Television and Czech Radio, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš was absent, claiming he was "paired off" due to exhaustion. However, many politicians assert that the tradition of pairing, which maintains voting balance, is no longer observed. Babiš defended his absence by stating he works long hours and was not aware of the vote. Critics, including opposition leaders, questioned the validity of his claim, as they noted that pairing has ceased to function effectively. Babiš did not respond to inquiries about who he was supposedly paired with, raising further doubts about the practice's current relevance.