Czechs could show support for Ukraine in upcoming election – Czech FM
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky has said he believes that the Czech people will demonstrate their support for Ukraine in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
"Speaking of the elections in the Czech Republic, it depends on the Czech people, who they will support and who they will vote for (…) Support for Ukraine is not something that can be designed and organized only by the government. It is something that comes from Czech society. Look at the number of organizations engaged in various activities. Look at the amount of money that the Czech people have donated to Ukraine. This is ten times more than what the government has paid. And it cannot change any function. So it comes from the Czech people. So the Czech nation will vote for the Ukrainian nation," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.
At the same time, the minister expressed concern about possible Russian interference.
"I warn about possible Russian interference. We must defend ourselves, and people must make better decisions," he said.
The Czech parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 3 and 4 of this year. For the first time, Czechs living abroad will be able to vote in these elections, which potentially increases turnout. According to the publication, one of the most likely candidates for the position of head of government in the new cabinet in the event of a victory for the opposition is considered to be the former Prime Minister of the country (2017-2021), the leader of the ANO movement, Andrej Babis, and it is with his name that Pavel's uncertainty about the future course of the Czech Republic may be connected.
Babis opposed Petr Pavel in the 2023 presidential election and lost in the second round. During the race, analysts indicated that Babis tried to please, in particular, those voters who are dissatisfied with the Czech Republic's active assistance to Ukraine, but earlier as prime minister he was not seen with obvious pro-Russian leanings.
The Czech government is currently headed by Petr Fiala, who represents the centrist Civic Democratic Party, known as a supporter of Ukraine in its opposition to Russian aggression. Earlier, Czech President Petr Pavel did not rule out that the parliamentary elections in the country in October of this year will lead to a change of government, and made it clear that the priorities of a possible new government, in particular, regarding the continuation of military assistance to Ukraine, are still difficult to assess.
