By-elections to the upper parliamentary chamber brought a fiasco of Andrej Babiš and Miloš Zeman.
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Zeman because he gave up the turnout before the second round, which is unprecedented. (On election day, he was interviewed by the Young Front Today, which is also unprecedented, but by how much the head of state is detached from the serious situation in the country and the life concerns of citizens, which are considerable. more elsewhere).
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Among the 27 elected senators, it would be difficult to track anyone who might have an affinity for the Castle. Perhaps except for Ondřej Feber (Karviná constituency), which passed through the Christian Democratic Party, the Union of Freedom, Zemanovci and this year became the only new senator for YES. This is already the political march Prague-Prčice.
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The catastrophic result of the parties of the minority government (YES 1, CSSD 0, KSCM 0) does not mean its direct weakening. The Senate has no direct tools or powers for this, and the predominance of opposition votes was clear before the weekend. Its further strengthening, especially the strengthening of STAN, is nevertheless significant.
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Because the Senate and senators are not “weak.” Only those who reduce politics to stamps of power and alpha-selfishness think so. Like Babiš with Zeman. The Senate and senators are “voices” and “symbols” and they care more about politics than is usually judged.
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See, for example, Milos Vystrcil’s journey to Taiwan.
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Although the Senate does not build motorways and does not drive non-stop like Karel Havlíček on Twitter, for example, it approves election laws or a judge of the Constitutional Court. Its results are difficult to quantify and sell in the “shown applies” fair. The price of the upper chamber lies in the “brake and counterweight” of power. That is why Zeman and Babiš hate her, having no significant word in the diverse composition of the Senate.
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The Senate complicates the life of the president and prime minister adequately and democratically. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
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But never before has the contrast between the executive, leaning against the Chamber of Deputies, and the Senate been so striking.
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The report on the state of the country is not only 51 percent for Zeman and 30 percent for YES, but also the result of elections to the Senate, where other parties dominate and new faces prevail. Of the political veterans, only Miroslava Němcová succeeded this year.
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The Senate elections reminded politicians that they are doomed to cooperate unless they change the Orbán-style rules. Andrej Babiš does not have a majority of the electorate behind him, but his political style does not correspond to that at all. They try to create an impression and rule as if YES were elected not by 30 (in 2017), but 70 percent of citizens. He does not understand Parliament or understands it as an obstacle. He uses the word “opposition” with a touch of contempt. It is inconceivable for him that he could ever find himself in it, which is quite common among prime ministers.
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Such a political age in a democracy with a proportional electoral system will soon reach its limits, especially if you win with no more than a third of the votes. The result is a rule of power, ditches and tension in society. But Grandma is hard to change. He’s been in power too long for that, seven years.
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The condemnation to cooperation does not only concern the government-parliament-castle axis, but also the members of the opposition camp. A clear memento for the 2021 election – but that will come at least three times more voters than this weekend. Opposition success in the Senate does not in itself mean anything to the outcome of the parliamentary elections.
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