Controversial Tomio Okamura elected Lower House Speaker - but can he reinvent himself?
Tomio Okamura, leader of the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, has been elected Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, making him the third-highest constitutional official in Czechia. A controversial figure, he was charged earlier this year with inciting racial hatred. But can he reinvent himself in his new role as Speaker, as he seems to hope? Radio Prague International spoke with political scientist and commentator Jiří Pehe.
“The election of Tomio Okamura does not come as a surprise. It was part of a trade within the new ruling coalition (formed by the ANO Party, SPD, and the Motorists‘ Party). What is more surprising is how Okamura presented his plans for his new position. He stated that he would like to unify the political scene after a period of extreme polarization and essentially act as a statesman in his new role. Given Okamura’s past actions, this seems unlikely, yet he appears to believe that this is how he will conduct himself.“
Could you give us a bit more details about his past and his controversies?
“Tomio Okamura is a politician who was criminally prosecuted until his re-election as a Member of Parliament this October, when his prosecution had to stop. Nonetheless, the Parliament will vote again on extraditing him for criminal prosecution, though it is unlikely to pass. The fact that he attained this very high position is seen as part of a deal with the probable future Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), who was also criminally prosecuted.
“Okamura was prosecuted for racist statements and, in particular, for racist billboards that his party displayed in Prague, portraying African migrants with knives and covered in blood. This is, of course, very difficult to separate from his persona.
"Even though he says that he would like to be more responsible now and act differently than in the past, in Parliament, where he was often obstructive as an MP, this is not very likely to happen - simply because he cannot easily remodel himself or create something new out of his political legacy.”
The outgoing prime minister, Petr Fiala (ODS), and several ministers opposed his nomination, citing - among other things - his alleged extremist views. How does Tomio Okamura react to criticism?
“Well, Mr. Okamura made a very short statement at the beginning of the parliamentary session at which he was elected. And then he didn't really react to any of the criticism that was made during the session.
"Tomio Okamura's reputation could make it difficult to engage in dialogue with democratic leaders and to represent the country effectively.”
Jiří Pehe
“The criticism concerned, for example, the fact that he was very divisive in the past, that he may be a security risk due to his pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian views, and that he will likely find it difficult to represent the Czech Republic abroad because of his reputation. If he were to meet, in his new position, with, say, African leaders, it would be extremely difficult for him because of his racist attitudes and statements. This was all discussed at the parliamentary session, but Tomio Okamura did not respond.
“He made a few statements after his election at the press conference where he repeated that he would like to be more unifying and play a more conciliatory role in this new position. But, of course, it's very difficult for someone with his personality to do so. This was very quickly manifested when he received some unpleasant questions and immediately went into attack, blaming specific journalists for asking him questions that they should not ask.”
To gain a broader understanding of Okamura’s new role, what is the significance of the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies in the Czech political system?
“We could argue that the Speaker's role is largely ceremonial, leading the various sessions of Parliament – not always, since there are four vice-chairmen who also preside over parliamentary sessions. At the same time, however, the Speaker of the House holds the third-highest constitutional position in the Czech Republic, after the President and the Speaker of the Senate, and as such represents the country abroad. It is also a symbolic role.
"Because the Speaker attends meetings with other parliamentary leaders in various countries, it will be extremely difficult for someone like Tomio Okamura, whose reputation could make it difficult to engage in dialogue with democratic leaders and represent the country effectively.”
