Current Affairs Czechs disheartened by political developments, but unwilling to trust “new faces”
The past weekend saw the establishment of yet another political entity on the Czech scene- the Citizens’ Rights Party founded by supporters of the former prime minister Miloš Zeman who is set to come out of retirement. It comes hard on the heels of two other newcomers in 2009– an alternative Green party calling itself the Democratic Green Party and TOPO9 established by the former Christian Democrat finance minister Miroslav Kalousek. All three promise disgruntled Czech voters a brighter future but offer few new faces. Do these parties really provide an alternative and can Czechs trust the same old politicians under a new name? Political analyst Jiří Pehe says that while Czech politics needs new blood –Czech voters are not yet ready to put their money on a new face.
Jiří Pehe
Back
