On municipal elections in Prague 4. 2. 2022 | Boris Cvek
4. 2. 2022 / Boris Cvek
reading time 3 minutes
I think there can be no doubt that the municipal elections in Prague, but in fact in all regional cities, will be a great test of political reality in the Czech Republic. And they will take place in the context of the policies of the new government and its coalitions. They will be a referendum on a new government.
One of the favorites of the elections in Prague is the group Prague itself (PS), led by Jan Čižinský. It seems that at least according to a recent interview provided by Čižinský to CNN Prima News, the main rival for the PS will be the governing coalition Spolu, in which the People’s Party (Čižinský is a former member of the KDU-ČSL) and TOP09 joined the ODS. At the same time, Čižinský has long considered the ODS to be one of the two main evils of Prague politics, the other being Yes.
The overall development of the political struggle in Prague cannot be predicted and can be very dramatic. The main rivals, as it seems now, will be the PS and ODS. STAN and the pirates will probably go separate and one can expect a drop in their preferences. Where will their constituents go? Prague voters will remain Yes faithful to Babiš – and if not: where will they go? Will the voters of the People’s Party and TOP09 vote Together? Voter transfers compared to the last municipal elections in Prague, in which just four ODS won, but in which another form (1st pirates, 2nd PS, 3rd coalition TOP09, People’s Party and STAN, 4th Yes) won a similar result, are fascinating question, you get many options.
Čižinský hopes that the PS will be the strongest formation in this year’s elections and that together with the pirates and STAN they will put together more than 50% of the votes. I think it will be very difficult. Government policy will certainly be a key factor in municipal elections – and vice versa: a municipal election campaign can lead to the disintegration of government. It is certain that Yes will not have the luxurious position of the only dominant opposition force in the Chamber of Deputies in Prague, because it will be Čižinský and his political group who will have to profile themselves against the government coalition Together. In the above-mentioned interview for CNN Prima News, his campaign against the ODS is clearly evident.
I am most curious about what the pirates and STAN will come to the election with. How will their position vis-à-vis Together, vis-à-vis government policy and vis-à-vis the PS. It seems that PS wants to take them in numbers as much as smaller entities that cannot play the first violin. It can also happen with STAN that it is absorbed by the gravitational force of the ODS, just like the People’s Party and TOP09. Personally, I think that there are only two real options for Prague after the municipal elections: either the PS or the ODS will rule, the others can only offer coalition potential.
I would be very surprised if pirates or STAN could imagine a real force that will win the municipal elections in Prague. If anything like that was possible, it’s probably gone forever. And it will get worse, especially for pirates, in connection with their government involvement. If the government succeeds, it will strengthen Together; if it fails, it will weaken the pirates.
Interview link:
https://cnn.iprima.cz/cizinsky-s-piraty-a-stan-ziskame-pres-50-procent-a-povedeme-prahu-dal-56444?fbclid=IwAR0eFlYYp-JIsPiufMw_a4P0qqyLQMrTs0DbalYk3zP
197