Final Word from Thursday, October 9, 2025

In a Spolu campaign flyer delivered to households just before the Czech parliamentary elections, PM Petr Fiala said that literally everything was at stake, because populist and extremist parties could lead the country into uncertainty, chaos and renewed dependence on authoritarian regimes. During election week he spoke of a "government of national betrayal," which clearly meant one with Prime Betrayer Andrej Babiš at the helm. The strategy had the effect of pushing a large number of SPD's and Stačilo!'s voters toward ANO and some of STAN's and the Pirates' toward Spolu. Fiala nevertheless lost and will soon make way for a government of "populists and extremists." He ruled out trying to stop this yesterday, saying that taking joint responsibility for a new government with ANO as a way to prevent SPD from coming to power wouldn't be an act of responsibility at all, but rather a betrayal of voters, and none of the parties in the current coalition is prepared to commit such betrayal. He repeatedly warned about the risk, he said. So rather than betray his voters, Fiala will soon turn them over to a "government of national betrayal." [ Czech Republic treachery treason Motorists ODS ]