In Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s (ANO) first New Year’s speech to voters, he set a very optimistic tone. The start of the addressal was taken from Vaclav Havel’s 1992 speech to voters, erasing worries that a crisis is coming.
Babis referred to media reports that the economic growth is slowing, that the government will not fulfill its plan, and that the best times are behind us. He said that there are people constantly trying to scare us. Babis pleaded to ignore the fear and that good times are ahead.
Babis went on to say that the Czech economy is growing at twice the rate of the EU and that the country’s debt is very low. He referenced the government of Petr Nečas in saying that the government will never be in a position to cut services and payouts to residents. The strategy backfires and made the situation even more difficult.
The Prime Minister further promised to make the building permit process more efficient and give raises to pensioners. The increases in pensions and government workers will continue in the future as well. He confirmed that the Czech Republic is doing well, with the lowest unemployment in Europe as well as being the most free and having the best economical progress in its modern history. Economic inequality is also amongst the lowest in Europe and the world.
Although Babis recently revealed a thirty year infrastructure investment plan, he mentioned that if he was Harry Potter, and could just wave his wand, Czechia would be a second Switzerland; not mentioning that Switzerland is not a member of NATO, not a member of the EU and has some of the lowest tax rates of any OECD country.
The speech even mentioned Babis’s recent success of getting nuclear power listed as an option in the recently signed Carbon mandate for the EU. “We are investing in nuclear power, whether our neighbours like it or not, otherwise we cannot fulfill the climate mandate” ended Babis.
