Papers address collapse in support for traditional parties

Editorial writers in a number of the Czech Republic’s leading dailies have addressed the poor showing of some traditional parties in the general elections. A commentator in Monday’s edition of Právo said Czech voters had radically turned their backs on groupings that held a monopoly on power or opposition for years. Meanwhile, Lidové noviny and Mladá fronta Dnes said the Social Democrats and TOP 09’s efforts to paint Andrej Babiš of election winners ANO as a bogeyman had proved a losing bet. The Social Democrats took only 7.3 percent in the elections and TOP 09 scored 5.3 percent.

Právo also said that the aggressive new parties ANO, Freedom and Direct Democracy and the Pirates had filled the hole left by the collapse of the traditional parties. However, the daily’s commentator said, this did not mean that the trio would now rule and shove their more traditional rivals completely out of the picture.