Two thousand protest coalition between Prague Civic and Social Democrats

A recently-agreed coalition between the Civic and Social Democrats at Prague City Hall is only a few days old but almost from the get-go the deal has been seen critically by many voters. On Wednesday, some two thousand let their dissatisfaction be known. While not a huge number, protestors hope the demonstration will give the Prague Civic and Social Democrats at least some food for thought.

Photo: CTK

The recent municipal elections in Prague where about “change”, but many see the outcome as anything but: earlier this week it became clear the winners TOP 09 (who garnered more than 30 percent of the vote) would not head the next city council, but instead, would head straight for the opposition, frozen out in a deal between the Civic and Social Democrats. The deal has left many voters in Prague disappointed and on Wednesday some 2,000 came out to Prague’s Wenceslas Square to vent their discontent, calling for an end to corruption and cronyism at City Hall.

Antonín Parma is a representative of Vyměňte politiky (Change Our Politicians), the civic initiative that organised Wednesday’s demonstration criticising the deal:

“It was intentional and agreed long in advance and this joining of the Civic and Social Democrats will block – despite the message sent by voters – any kind of new order at City Hall.”

Bohuslav Svoboda, photo: CTK

Over the last four years, City Hall came under increasing criticism, facing allegations of corruption and clientelism, a far cry from four years ago when outgoing mayor Pavel Bém led the Prague Civic Democrats to a convincing victory.

For that reason, many voters now put stock in newcomers TOP 09, headed by former head of the national bank, Zdeněk Tůma. But in the end, the party did not have the clout to pull off a coalition and was locked out.

The Civic Democrat’s incoming mayor, Bohuslav Svoboda, meanwhile, reacted by saying he didn’t think this was the time for protest, telling Czech TV that demonstrations would only be appropriate if his party failed to keep its promises. Another member involved in the recent negotiations, Social Democrat representative Karel Březina, said this:

“Prague residents and people who attended the demonstration need to give the newly-founded coalition ‘a chance’.”

Karel Březina, photo: CTK

Will they? Pundits are generally of the opinion that voter anger over the deal will peter out and certainly be forgotten by most the next time they go to the polls. Others, though, won’t let the issue die. For one, the Green Party, together with Public Affairs and the European Democrats, has put forward a constitutional complaint over changes to the election system in Prague that it claims put its candidates at a disadvantage (not one was elected) and the move has indirectly been backed by long-time Green Party supporter and former president Václav Havel. Last but not least, the civic association Vyměňte politiky also says it is not about to let incoming politicians off the hook: on Wednesday it called for people to come out and demonstrate again when the new city council sits for the first time.