Pirates ahoy in the Czech election?
Voters in the Czech Republic head to the polls this weekend in a general election that features pirates. Literally.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš — a Euroskeptic, big-spending populist billionaire with a support base among older, rural Czechs — is fighting for re-election against two main coalitions: a center-right alliance called "Together", and a center-left alliance captained by the Czech Pirate party.
The Czech Pirates are led by a dreadlocked former IT architect who plays the accordion. They call for progressive social and environmental policies, better relations with Brussels, and they have strong support from younger, urban Czechs. They're already the third largest party in parliament, and a Pirate is mayor of Prague.
Until recently, the Pirates had a commanding lead in polls. But poor messaging and a vicious counter attack from Babiš — who portrays them as pro-immigrant neo-Marxists — have hurt them. Babiš' ANO party now leads the polls with 26 percent, Together has 21 percent, while the Pirates sail in third place with 18 percent. None of that bodes well for coalition-building after the vote, with few clear paths to a government for any of the main blocs.
The election takes place against the backdrop of one of the world's worst COVID outbreaks, but with the pandemic receding, Czech voters are more concerned about economic issues now than about the public health crisis, Lenka Kabrhelová, host of Czech Radio's popular Vinohradská 12 news analysis podcast, told GZERO. Turnout will be key, she says — Babiš's older constituents tend to head to the polls en masse.
Babiš' opponents, meanwhile, will try to capitalize on the fact that although he was elected on an anti-corruption platform, he is currently under EU and Czech investigations for corruption and improperly steering EU funds towards his own businesses. Pandora Papers revelations about his luxe French villas won't help.
https://www.gzeromedia.com/pirates-ahoy-in-the-czech-election