Prague, April 18 (CTK) – All major Czech parties are trying hard to win the Mayors and Independents movement (STAN) as an ally as this would clearly benefit them in the autumn regional polls and in the general election next year, Miroslav Korecky writes in daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) on Monday.
He reacts to the weekend congress of the STAN, which was visited by the heads of all mainstream political parties, from both the government and the opposition, and says that such a situation is quite unusual.
The speeches the other parties’ leaders addressed to the STAN showed their excessive effort to win the STAN as an ally, or a partner to form an election tandem, if possible, Korecky writes.
The STAN has for many years applied a non-confrontation style of politics, and it is capable of dealing with all of the country’s democratic parties, Korecky writes.
In the past months, the STAN terminated its several-year cooperation with the right-wing TOP 09 party (now in opposition), as a result of which it is “a bride on offer” now, Korecky writes.
Many parties are eyeing the bride, as the somewhat overlooked STAN, which has been perceived as a municipal appendix of TOP 09, has a decent chance of gaining a position of a promising stable political force, Korecky writes.
The STAN’s prospects were already indicated by the local elections in 2014, from which it emerged as one of the parties with the strongest representation in municipal assemblies, together with the Social Democrats (CSSD) and the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), Korecky writes.
The party gained 3,073 seats in municipal assemblies. In addition, it has some 30 seats in the regional assemblies, one seat of a regional governor, five lower house deputies including the house’s deputy chairman, and a [six-member] Senate group of its own, Korecky writes.
The STAN might be a surprising success in the regional elections in October, which would further considerably increase its price as a bride, Korecky writes.
Moreover, each of the “rival” parties is eager to see the STAN ally with it in the general election due in 2017, Korecky continues.
Although some STAN members suggest that the movement should run in the general election alone, without any partner, most of them are realistic. The STAN’s experience with top-level politics is low, and in the battle for the Chamber of Deputies in the general election it would be unable to manage with the topics or personalities whose reputation does not exceed their home district or region, Korecky writes.
At the weekend congress, the STAN indicated its own price as a bride. It wants the regions to gain a share in the road and environmental taxes, high-speed Internet in all towns, a denser medical rescue network and more money for voluntary firefighters, Korecky writes.
The STAN also indicated that municipalities are ready to give up their portion of the gambling tax on condition that the state raises their share in the VAT revenues by four billion crowns a year, Korecky writes.
All eager suitors undoubtedly put the STAN’s election vows carefully down during the congress. The most careful in this respect was probably Andrej Babis, finance minister and ANO movement chairman, whom a possible tandem with the STAN would benefit the most of all, Korecky writes.
An ANO-STAN tandem would also be the most logical. Unlike its government partners, the CSSD and the KDU-CSL, ANO still lacks a functioning network of regional and local organisations, and it is extremely difficult to build it quickly, Korecky writes.
For the STAN, too, Babis is a promising ally. If Babis enters the next government, he will be the finance minister again at least, Korecky writes.
