Conflict over ultra-conservative civil servant shakes Czech coalition government

The Czech centre-right government faces another imbroglio. Ministers for the coalition TOP 09 party walked out of Wednesday’s government meeting over offensive comments about their chair, Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, made by the ultra-conservative Education Ministry HR chief, Ladislav Bátora. The TOP ministers now say they won’t come back until Mr Bátora is fired, or his boss, Education Minister Josef Dobeš, quits.

Ladislav Bátora, photo: CTK

The fragile period of tranquillity within the Czech government only lasted as long as the summer holidays, abruptly ending on Wednesday. The latest war of words broke out once again over the controversial ultra-conservative human resources chief at the Education Ministry Ladislav Bátora.

In a Facebook comment last week, Mr Bátora was reacting to Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg’s criticism of his appointment, calling the foreign minister and TOP 09 chair “a poor little old man” who “sputters brazenly when he knows I can’t challenge him to a duel for at least three reasons.”

With Mr Schwarzenberg on holiday, Finance Minister and deputy party chair Miroslav Kalousek led the charge. After Wednesday’s walk-out, Mr Kalousek said TOP 09 ministers would not take part in any government meetings until Education Minister Josef Dobeš fires his human resources director, or quits himself.

Karel Schwarzenberg

Mr Bátora, who in 2006 ran for a seat in the lower house on the ticket of the extremist National Party, has publicly voiced his ultra-right views even after he was appointed to the ministry. He most recently stirred a controversy when he protested against the gay Prague Pride event that took place last week.

Education Minister Josef Dobeš of the junior coalition party Public Affairs has been under pressure from other government officials, a number of NGOs and other public figures to let Mr Bátora go. But Mr Dobeš came out in his defence, saying Mr Bátora was a “dutiful patriot and Catholic”.

Political analyst Jiří Pehe, along with other commentators, believes the latest brawl is highly unlikely to bring the government down, although it does illustrate how strained the relations within the coalition are.

“I don’t think this will lead to the collapse of the government but it’s yet another signal that this government coalition is not very functional and harmonic. I think we might soon expect another conflict which could bring the government down.”

Josef Dobeš, photo: CTK

At the same time, however, the conflict between two smaller coalition parties underlines an ongoing “proxy war” between President Václav Klaus and Prime Minister Petr Nečas – with the former gaining an upper hand. While President Klaus and his aides have repeatedly backed Mr Bátora, the prime minister backed off from his earlier stronger comments and refused to say on Wednesday whether or he will fire Minister Dobeš if he does not remove his protégé.