1st November 2018

Grayling Political Digest: Tug of War

One of the latest shocks has been the surprising decision by ANO in Ostrava, where, just a few hours prior to the signing of the coalition agreement, it opted to form a coalition with the Pirate Party. That came out of the blue for the Civic Democrats and Ostravak movement, originally meant to be part of the ANO-led coalition. Some speculate that this decision was motivated by the sudden rejection of ANO from the government coalition in Brno, and the reaction of Mayor Tomáš Macura (ANO) suggests there is some truth to this.

Besides the above-mentioned political shuffles, there was also a major change in the capital city, Prague. As we informed you in the previous reports, the coalition negotiations among the Pirates, Prague Together and Joint Forces for Prague (TOP-09, Mayors and Cristian Democrats) were successful, and Zdeněk Hřib will be the first Mayor of Prague to come from the Pirate Party. Other nominations for the Prague City Council have surfaced, with Prague Together having representatives in some of the most demanding positions (finance and transport).

A statement by Hřib indicates that the City Council’s confirmation vote is most likely to be scheduled for 22 November. Subsequent months will show whether the Czech capital will be given a much-needed kick or will kick someone back.

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Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic