Macinka Admits Budget Promises Have Failed, Vows to Restore Order Down the Road

Motorists party leader Petr Macinka has admitted that next year's budget will remain problematic, promising to tighten control over spending in the years ahead. The statement came on Wednesday, as the Chamber of Deputies overrode the president's veto on amendments to budget laws that allow the state to take on significantly more borrowing.

"I can assure you that next year's budget is a problem for us, but there's nothing we can do about it now. However, we will make future budgets conditional on structural reforms across every possible area, so this never happens again," Macinka said, commenting on the enormous deficits in which state spending far outstrips revenue.

The politician explained his position by noting that his party had not won enough support in the elections to push through more decisive austerity measures.

Promises and Reality Diverge — by a Factor of Two

Ahead of the elections, the Motorists had even put forward concrete figures: under their management, next year's budget deficit was projected at 165 billion crowns, and the party's campaign billboards promised voters they would "put an end to [former PM Petr] Fiala and keep an eye on [ANO leader Andrej] Babiš." In reality, the 2027 deficit will exceed that promised figure more than twofold, and Macinka now only promises that savings will begin in subsequent years.

"We agreed that the next deficit would be higher, but the 2028 and 2029 budgets will already show a significant reduction in the deficit," he had promised earlier in an interview. Now, in parliament, the politician said his party would set conditions when future budgets are drawn up.

Political Scientists Doubt the Promises

Experts remain skeptical of Macinka's statements. According to Michal Malý, a political scientist at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University, the Motorists' leader had to respond somehow to the situation, given how loud the party's pre-election slogans were — but there is no real substance behind these promises.

"In my view, they're already abandoning the idea of being the responsible right in the spirit of [Václav] Klaus in the 1990s," Malý said, noting that the Motorists are shifting voters' attention away from balanced budgets toward cultural issues. According to him, the novelty effect that drew voters to the new party has already worn off, while former supporters can see there is no real progress toward a balanced budget.

Milan Školník, a political scientist at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, agrees: before the elections, the Motorists positioned themselves as a right-wing party and an alternative to the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), but in practice this hasn't materialized. Malý also does not rule out a split within the party's parliamentary faction — for instance, he believes economist and budget committee chairman Vladimír Pikora could leave if a suitable opportunity arises.

Notably, the ANO movement's own pre-election program likewise promised spending cuts meant to significantly reduce the budget deficit by the end of the government's term. If Prime Minister Babiš decides to go down that road, the Motorists' leader could well try to claim it as his own success. "But it certainly won't be the Motorists who end up dictating the terms," Malý concluded, adding that despite their campaign slogans, the new party will not be keeping an eye on Babiš after all.

Source: novinky.cz