This is not a call of despair. No, I am not pouring my heart out because of the election turnout. I am aware of the average numbers that keep surprising me from election to election. But 30 per cent? Seriously? For those who missed it, that is the voter turnout for the elections to regional assemblies that took place in the Czech Republic last weekend.
After almost winning the parliamentary elections in 2014, the second wealthiest man in the country, Andrej Babiš, is to become yet again more powerful. Putting himself in charge of the Ministry of Finance in 2014, and with a somewhat likeable philosophy of “running the state as a company,” his political party Ano 2011 (which still claims not to be a party in a traditional sense) won in 9 out of 14 regions.
With a recent acquisition of a newspaper and a TV station, his dreams of becoming a country’s number one manager (a.k.a. prime minister) might come true after all. At least for now he is not closing other (that is, not owned by him) newspapers. Who knows, he might get inspired by Hungary’s case with the Saturday’s closing of the newspaper Népszabadság that until now openly criticized the government. At least for now the press is still free. But hush, his office is just behind the corner.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay user Peggy_Marco
