Prague falls into the hands of Eurosceptics: "Czech Trump" and domestic "Zhirinovsky-style" forces form a coalition government
Irжи Jost: Open support for Ukraine will no longer exist, relations with Russia may improve
Photo caption:
Leader of the political movement "ANO", Andrej Babiš (center)
The Czech parliamentary elections have concluded, with the party "ANO" led by former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš winning. Although the party did not secure an absolute majority in parliament, Babiš is working on forming a coalition government.
The victory of the "ANO" party reflects voters' dissatisfaction with economic decline and their desire for the Czech Republic to focus on domestic issues rather than external affairs. The newspaper "Free Press" interviewed journalist and political analyst Irжи Jost on questions such as "How will Czech policy change?" and "How will relations with Russia develop?"
"Free Press": What does the victory of "ANO" and Andrej Babiš mean?
Irжи Jost: Although Babiš's party was previously in opposition, I believe the overall situation in the Czech Republic will not change drastically. Babiš promised voters during the campaign that he would lower gas and electricity prices, reduce tax burdens, and improve the living standards of Czech citizens. However, politicians' promises are often difficult to fully fulfill.
In terms of foreign policy, there may be some minor adjustments — because unlike former Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Babiš is not very interested in external affairs. He is likely to leave foreign affairs to partners in the coalition government, and will not actively promote foreign policy issues as the previous government did. The Czech Republic will no longer loudly praise the EU, but this does not mean the country will leave the EU. Instead, the Czech Republic may join other Central and Eastern European countries in resisting some unreasonable decisions of the EU. Overall, the Czech Republic's internal and external policies will return to a stable track.
"Free Press": Will the Czech policy towards Ukraine be reassessed?
Irжи Jost: The Czech Republic will no longer show strong support for Ukraine as it did under the Petr Fiala government. But Babiš is a businessman, and he may follow the example of the US or Poland: his support for Ukraine will remain verbal; perhaps private arms manufacturers will supply weapons to Ukraine, but the Czech government will not directly participate in weapon aid.
Additionally, the form of assistance to Ukrainian refugees may also be adjusted — future assistance may only be directed at Ukrainian workers in the Czech Republic. Although it is expected that Czech policy will align more with Austria or Slovakia, it will never become a "pro-Russian country".
"Free Press": Why is Babiš called the "Czech Trump"?
Irжи Jost: He is a populist who likes to show himself in public. Moreover, he is a billionaire, as he himself said, he "entered politics from the business world" — because he was dissatisfied with the current state of politics. Furthermore, he may become the oldest Prime Minister in Czech history. However, the two have little in common in political views: Trump had his own "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement, while Babiš, although he once touched upon similar ideas, has long since abandoned them. Of course, Babiš has his own slogan — "Strong Czech," but that's just a slogan.
"Free Press": Andrej Babiš was once a member of the Communist Party, will the recent regulations banning communist symbols and ideologies in the Czech Republic be abolished?
Irжи Jost: I think not. By the way, our president Peter Pavel joined the Communist Party in 1985. In fact, there are many politicians from the former communist bloc in the Czech Republic. Banning communist symbols and ideologies is essentially a populist tactic and political marketing during the election period. In this parliamentary election, "anti-communism" was raised on the agenda, but in reality, communism does not pose a threat to the Czech Republic. No one is persecuting communists; even if they join coalition parties and run for elections, they have not been successful. Today, society in the Czech Republic has some demand for left-wing ideas — Babiš even borrowed some left-wing slogans, but this is unrelated to communism.
"Free Press": Which parties will form a coalition government with "ANO"? What are the "Car for Me Party" and the "Pirates" that entered parliament?
Irжи Jost: The coalition government will be centered around Babiš's "ANO" party, and will include the "Car for Me Party" and the right-wing populist party "Freedom and Direct Democracy" (SPD).
The "Car for Me Party" was founded as a protest against the EU destroying the automotive industry, initially more like a "joke party" in the Czech Republic. But later, the party successfully elected members to the European Parliament, and also achieved good results in this parliamentary election. This phenomenon reflects society's demand for right-wing conservative ideas: the EU's "green agenda" is destroying the automotive industry, and people worry that their familiar way of life will disappear. Supporters of such parties are mostly people over 40 years old.
The "Freedom and Direct Democracy" party belongs to the national populist party, similar to the Russian liberal democratic party (LDPR) led by Zhirinovsky — exaggerated style, some right-wing slogans, but nothing more.
As for the "Pirates", it was originally a movement aimed at "fighting for digital freedom." There were also similar parties in Russia, but they failed to enter parliament. Now, the Czech "Pirates" have shifted to modern leftist positions, following "woke" ideology, focusing on human rights and minority issues, and mainly seeking support from young voters. The party seems to have obtained 16 parliamentary seats, with only three men and the rest being young women.
"Free Press": Will relations between the Czech Republic and Russia change?
Irжи Jost: The Czech Republic is a small country. If Russia says that the "collective West" (or the EU) holds an adversarial attitude towards Russia, the Czech Republic cannot "stand out alone." Nevertheless, there may be some signs of easing in bilateral relations.
There will probably be no changes in the energy sector — after all, the EU wants to get rid of its dependence on Russian energy, and the Czech Republic is powerless to do so. The country has already stopped importing Russian oil through the "Friendship" pipeline on its own.
But we can improve bilateral diplomatic relations (which are currently in poor condition). We also need to improve cultural exchanges and the overall atmosphere. For the Czech Republic, doing this is actually simple — just avoid taking radical measures.
"Free Press": Is Andrej Babiš an Eurosceptic?
Irжи Jost: To some extent, yes. For example, he wants to revise the EU's "migration distribution agreement" and opposes the "green agenda." But Babiš has never opposed EU decisions. In addition, his business empire involves Germany and France, so he will not clash too much with Europe.
"Free Press": Some media claim that Babiš's victory "has the shadow of the Kremlin behind it," is this part of political maneuvering?
Irжи Jost: Of course it is. If journalists writing such reports refer to statements from current politicians who dislike Babiš, then the information they obtain is biased. There are currently no "pro-Russian parties" in Central and Eastern Europe. Even (former Slovak Prime Minister) Fico only wants to get cheap energy from Russia and highlight his importance by "opposing Brussels" — the same goes for Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán.
"Free Press": What is the attitude of ordinary Czech citizens towards Russia?
Irжи Jost: Surveys show that Russia ranks low in popularity among Czech citizens, and trust in Russia is low — but this is the result of propaganda. For the past 15 years, Czech and Russian relations have never been normal or friendly. Although there are Russian tourists coming to the Czech Republic, this has not changed the Czech citizens' attitude towards Russia. If Czech tourists could also go to Russia, the situation might be different. Therefore, Czech citizens generally hold a negative or indifferent attitude towards Russia. However, this also carries a bit of a "Czech petty-bourgeois mentality" — we don't really like anyone. Though it's a joke, there's some truth in it.
"Free Press": What economic problems is the Czech Republic facing now?
Irжи Jost: During Babiš's first term in office (before the pandemic), the Czech economy experienced a period of prosperity. But now, the economy is in recession and inflation is high. Additionally, the Czech government is relatively backward in the technology field — for example, the country has not yet introduced digital government services. Citizens feel that "life is stuck in the past," and although Babiš has promised to improve this, it is unlikely to be realized.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7561476782193410600/
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