Election Aftermath - Czech Style

Well, the first Presidential election by popular vote in the Czech Republic is history. Miloš Zeman has been elected. But, it seems that the Czechs have learned well from their American allies. The finger pointing, accusations, and sour grapes have only just begun.

A quick scan of Czech and European newspapers indicates that all is not well after the election, which followed a raucous, down and dirty, American-style campaign. One paper put it this way:

It was “the candidate of the disatisfied voters” who won, writes the daily (Lidové noviny), describing “an atmosphere of disgust and fear of the future.” Miloš Zeman will have a difficult task, the newspaper adds: “To reunite a society split by a campaign full of heated emotions.” “The new president has been elected against the will of a large part of the intellectual, political and economic elite,” notes LN, adding that he must now prepare for an “uneasy coexistence” with Petr Necas' centre-right coalition which is behind the austerity policy.(Read the entire article here).

The following excerpts and summaries also indicate the mood of (at least) those who follow politics in this nation. 

Schwarzenberg's team responsible for his defeat

Not the public, but the team of Karel Schwarzenberg has failed and is to blame for his defeat in the second round of the presidential election, Martin Weiss writes in yesterday's issue of the daily Lidové noviny (LN). 

Wake up call

The presidential election shows Czechs are no more immune to populism or historical fear-mongering than their neighbors.

On 8 March, Miloš Zeman, a career politician and former member of the Communist Party, will become President of this nation. Time will tell what that means for the Czech Republic and for Europe. In the meantime, prayer for this nation (as well as for your own) is appropriate.
 
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7).

History Being Made in Czech Republic

Today is a momentous and important day in the history of the Czech Republic. Today, for the first time, the citizens of this former Soviet Republic will have a direct vote for their President. The voting will actually take place over two days (today and tomorrow), and will likely result in a run-off between the top two candidates in two weeks.

Since the new constitution was passed in 1992, presidents have been appointed by the legislature, which surprisingly gave up that power, passing a law handing that authority over to the general populace. Interestingly, the Communist Party (KSČM) tried to block the new law.

According to the implementation laws that went into effect August, 2012,  any citizen over 18 may be nominated for candidacy upon the submission of:

- 50,000 citizen signatures

-20 signatures from the Chamber of Deputies

-10 signatures from the Senate

Many candidates have surfaced, from an actress to a lawyer covered in tattoos (including his face and head) to several current members of the government. As I write this, nine candidates have been ruled eligible, of the twenty who took out nomination papers. I'm in no position to speculate on outcomes, but I do suspect that whoever emerges triumphant in this election will change the stance of the Czech Republic with regard to Europe. From my viewpoint this is too bad. Europe needs some resistors to aid The UK in its stand to hold on to some of its sovereignty.

Current President Vaclav Klaus (who is term-limited) has been, at best, standoffish, with the European Union. Zapaday, a news calendar has stated it this way:

Among the leading candidates to replace euroskeptic Klaus are former prime ministers Milos Zeman and Jan Fischer, who are both much more inclined towards closer cooperation with the EU than their predecessor.

So, congratulations to the entire Czech Republic on this milestone. I hope that you come out to vote.