Prague, Nov 9 (CTK) – The victory of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election is no surprise as his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton was weak, losing traditional leftist voters, opposition Czech Communist (KSCM) leaders said yesterday, adding that Trump’s policy in the White House is hard to predict.
Opposition right-wing Civic Democrat (ODS) chairman Petr Fiala said Trump’s administration would place new demands on Czech diplomacy and the government. Czech politicians should agree on foreign policy, he added.
Trump’s victory is no positive piece of news either for Europe or for the world, Mayors and Independents (STAN) movement chairman Petr Gazdik said.
Opposition right-wing TOP 09 honorary chairman and former foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg said (TOP 09) he expected “a political quake” in the world after Trump’s election U.S. president and that this change would influence both European and world politics.
Though Trump was exaggerating in his campaign, there was a lot of his conviction in this, he added.
“Not all candidates naturally implemented all what they said (in campaign), but they usually fulfilled a part of their conviction,” Schwarzenberg said, adding that he expected Trump to do the same.
TOP 09 chairman Miroslav Kalousek said he hoped that the U.S. long-term political course would not change and that Trump would not accomplish his words, primarily those questioning commitments in collective security and his promised protectionist and isolationist commercial policy.
“I mainly hope that the U.S. long consistent policy on Russia will not change. If it did, it would cause an immense problem to the free world,” Kalousek said.
“Hillary Clinton was too militant in her campaign and this deprived her of the votes of peace activists. She betrayed the programme pillars of the Democrats,” KSCM chairman Vojtech Filip said .
“Clinton was a weak rival candidate, which the result confirmed,” KSCM deputy head Jiri Dolejs said, adding that the presidential duel reflected the challenges that the United States is facing.
“Trump will be an unpredictable president – no peacemaker. His isolationist and deregulatory formulas are not trustworthy. The ultra-right can rejoice,” Dolejs said.
KSCM MEP Katerina Konecna also mentioned the feeling of uncertainty following Trump’s victory.
“We will be as strong in the defence of our national interests as we are united at home,” Fiala said.
The emphasis that the new Czech government, which will emerge from the 2017 election, will put on relations with Europe and NATO will play an important role, he added.
Other right-wing opposition politicians expressed similar views.
“Let us wait to see if Trump turns his portentous pre-election statements into deeds. However, I am afraid of further U.S. isolationism,” Gazdik told CTK in reaction to the U.S. presidential election.
Marek Zenisek, opposition TOP 09 foreign policy expert, said one should congratulate the winner. “The United States has so far survived all of its presidents, there is no reason for supposing that it will not survive Donald Trump,” he added.
Fiala also said he perceived the election of Trump as an expression of deep economic and social changes taking place in the U.S society.
“In view of the Czech Republic and the defence of our national interests, it will be crucial what emphasis Trump’s new administration will put on cooperation with Europe and mainly within NATO, what policy on Russia it will actually pursue and whether the protectionist line in international trade will be confirmed,” Fiala told CTK.
The U.S. election’s result confirms that European countries must more rely on themselves in security issues and invest more finances in defence without weakening or duplicating the capacities of NATO, Fiala pointed out.
Zenisek said the Czech Republic must preserve the closest possible links to the United States and hope that all that Trump had promised in his campaign would not come true at once.
The whole of Europe must now stick together and assume its portion of responsibility for itself and for the developments in the world, Zenisek added.
