The leadership of Prague has been under discussion for four months. It shows the inability of local politicians to communicate and get along, commentator Hartman thinks
Guests:
Adam BeyšovecCzech Radio reporter
Zdenek Hrib (Pirates), the outgoing mayor of Prague
Peter HartmanCzech Radio commentator
It follows from the statements of representatives of the Spolu coalition and the STAN movement that the breakthrough was the reduction of demands. Together, they will settle for five of the 11 seats in the new row, but they still count on filling the post of mayor. Representatives of all groupings should therefore begin to resolve details, including programmatic or managerial ambiguities.
“We will set up five working teams to work towards meeting again as negotiating teams on Monday to discuss these documents. One of these teams should work on a proposal for a coalition agreement,” commented Zdeněk Zajíček, chairman of the Spolu club, earlier.
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At the present moment, the most problematic demand of the coalition is the omission of the Prague Self Association. It concluded the so-called Alliance for Stability with the Pirates in December, ensuring a common approach to negotiations. It is not yet clear whether the solution proposed by the Together for Pirates coalition will be sufficient and whether it could lead to the dissolution of the alliance.
“That’s a matter that could hopefully be clearer on Wednesday evening. The important thing is what was actually heard at the meeting, they appreciate that the offer came,” says outgoing mayor of the capital Zdeněk Hřib from the Pirate Party. “It’s a step in a meaningful direction.”
The proposal adjusts the position and reduces the disadvantage
According to Hřiba, the current offer solves an important demand of the STAN movement. “Their representation there was not sufficiently dignified and corresponding to the election results,” he describes. According to the proposal, they should have two chairs instead of one in the previous proposal.
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However, the offer, compared to December, could be worse for the Pirates themselves. “We are not offered education, sports and free time, which is the responsibility we had in the previous election period,” Hřib explains the possible disadvantages of the new offer. Because of the changes in gestures, he is also afraid of misuse by the Spolu coalition.
“Something like the management of city services appeared there, which is on the side of Spolu. We are concerned that this is not some variant of the investment governor, that means an effort to tunnel the actions of the coalition partners,” continues Hřib. “So there are quite a lot of negotiations that still have to take place.”
Already at the time when negotiations were taking place, we witnessed the appearance that it was heading towards some kind of solution.
Peter Hartman
A statement from the Together coalition regarding their intentions could not be obtained. The candidate for mayor of the capital, Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS), who accepted the invitation to the program, could not be reached at the time of the broadcast.
The chances of a new leadership are still unclear
It is currently not possible to estimate the probability of a coalition. “We have to wait until the council elects the new leadership of Prague. Already at the time when negotiations were taking place, we witnessed the appearance that it was heading towards some kind of solution. There was even supposed to be a vote, and just before the vote, the project failed,” Czech Radio commentator Petr Hartman recalls the results of the negotiations so far.
That time is already long enough for Prague to really move towards having some kind of leadership.
Peter Hartman
“We are witnessing further negotiations. Roughly four months after the elections, nothing has been negotiated. It at least shows how Prague’s politicians are able and willing to communicate and negotiate with each other. And also about how they trust each other, because so far it seems like they hardly trust each other,” adds Hartman.
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At the same time, the delays in the negotiations were caused by the Alliance for Stability itself, which was supposed to solve the negotiation position of the Pirates with the Praha sebo association. “It turned out that this was not the case at all, that on the contrary, the Stability Alliance meant stability in that the negotiations could not be brought to some successful end, to some compromise,” outlines Hartman.
It should be really clear only in mid-February after the meeting of the council. “That’s where the leadership will be elected, or whether we’ll once again see no deal and wait to see how the negotiating team moves forward,” Hartman concludes. “That time is already long enough for Prague to really move towards having some leadership.”
In the entire program Topic of the Day, you will also find out how the individual parties approach the shift or what the Pirates’ priorities are for the development of Prague or what the participation of the Praha Association in the management of the city could look like. He is accompanied by Martina Mašková.