Conservative figure Bátora quits Education Ministry post

Controversial activist Ladislav Bátora has announced he is leaving his post at the Education Ministry. Earlier this year, his stint at the ministry became a source of upheaval on the Czech political scene but Mr Bátora was allowed to remain at the ministry in return for a promise he would stay away from politics. But on Friday, Ladislav Bátora said he was no longer willing to keep that promise and wanted to be actively engaged in public life. Commentator Jiří Pehe thinks he is leaving after his goal – getting public attention – was fulfilled.

Ladislav Bátora, photo: CTK

“I think that Mr Bátora has realized that his tenure at the Ministry of Education has brought him a lot of attention which he now use for political objectives, and his remaining at the ministry would not be useful any more. It’s a political move on his part; he gained a lot of visibility and I think that was the purpose of the whole project.”

Mr Bátora hinted he might be involved in the establishment of a new political party which could rely on the support of President Klaus. In your opinion, is that the most likely scenario?

“Mr Bátora knows what he’s doing. He is certainly leaving the ministry because he has another project in mind. We have to wait and see what the party he wants to establish will be all about and who will support it. But certainly Mr Bátora spent several months at the ministry with the purpose of gaining visibility; this has been achieved and I expect him to be politically active now.”

What is your estimate of potential voter support for a conservative, Catholic, anti-European party in the Czech Republic?

Photo: Kristýna Maková

“A party like that will be a difficult project in the Czech Republic. We have seen in the past that Czech voters are not entirely convinced that an extreme-right party or a very nationalist party is what they want to support.

“Such a party will have difficulties even with possible support coming from the country’s president. We have to wait and see. Projects that could be compared to what Mr Bátora has in mind have succeeded in Slovakia, Hungary and Poland and perhaps something like this might happen in the Czech Republic as well.”