Analyst: current government has decayed trust in system, helping the Communists

Twenty-three years ago the Velvet Revolution swept the Communists from power in former-Czechoslovakia but today in the Czech Republic they are doing better than anytime over the last two decades. On Tuesday, regional members of the party in Ústí agreed on the first communist governor with their Social Democrat counterparts.

Photo: Filip Jandourek

I spoke to political analyst Vladimíra Dvořáková about the party’s success.

“It’s not that easy to explain why the Communists have been so successful of late – 23 years after we threw them out in the Velvet Revolution. But I will say this: I do not think it is because of their political marketing or because of their policies. I think it is the result of problems in our democracy, with our political elites who are really not working for the public but understand democracy as something connected with corrupt practices and client networks. As a result there is a minimum of voters who really trust the system now, if anything there is extreme distrust.”

If I understand you correctly, the votes for the Communists were a form of protest against the government?

Vladimíra Dvořáková, photo: Šárka Ševčíková

“I think so. The problem is really that of the current government. For most there is no ‘dream’ of returning the country to pre-1989. The people who share that idea are at a minimum. But the results represent a very serious message for the current government, one that has ignored public opinion and uses methods that strengthen corruption and clientele networks in our society.

“If you think about the composition of the lower house now and you consider who it was the helped the government push through crucial laws that will affect generations, you will find people who have been accused, who are being investigated, who have even been convicted of corruption (but who have appealed). I would say this is something that is extremely, extremely problematic for the sustainability of the democratic system.”

If indeed the Communists are the beneficiary of these developments, is it possible if they share power to a greater degree in the regions or are actually forced to lead, this will soften their position? Obviously, many people fear them at the national level for their unapologetic stance and what they represent, but could the party itself change?

Photo: Filip Jandourek

“It is difficult to say. From the perspective of political scientists, yes, the party that gets protest votes, assumes some power and takes responsibility can change within. But certainly many voters never wanted to see their return, they were against them and now they will govern on a regional level and perhaps one day have a key role a national level. And this could be very frustrating.”

It sounds very much like ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’. On the one hand you have the centre-right parties who should be running the country better and on the other the Communists...

“Well there is still a possibility for the public to do something. We need great pressure to be exerted by NGOs to change institutions, to pressure politicians and push for much greater accountability. It is the only way to go against corruption but also against the Communist Party. If you sit back and are passive and do nothing and decide to choose between the two (the Communists or the government) that’s not a real choice.”