Pirates Unveil Economic Programme in Race for Babiš's Voters

The Czech opposition Pirate Party has presented its own economic strategy — a hundred-page document on the country's development and modernisation. Party chairman Zdeněk Hřib announced the plan, stressing that it should demonstrate that the Pirates have not only an ideology but also economic competence and the ability to learn from the mistakes of past governments.

"We want to be ready for Andrej Babiš's defeat in the next election, which we believe is inevitable. And being ready is far more important than declaring yourself the leader of the opposition or the leader of a future government today," Hřib said, in a clear jab at his rivals — Civic Democrat chairman Martin Kupka and STAN leader Vít Rakušan.

According to Hřib, the document, drafted with input from economists, entrepreneurs and academics, is meant to be a lesson drawn from previous experience in government: the party wants future ministers to know exactly what to do from day one, rather than spending months "getting up to speed."

Similar Recipes Across the Board

The Pirates' economic plans don't differ dramatically from those of other opposition forces — all of them bet on quality education, modern energy and industry, automation, innovation and the digitalisation of public administration. The real differences lie mainly in how to tackle the budget deficit: the Civic Democrats, for instance, want to bring more private money into healthcare and social services, while the Christian Democrats and STAN are open to raising property and consumption taxes.

The Pirates hope their new strategy will help the party finally break past the 10% mark in opinion polls, where it has been stuck for a long time. Rivals the Civic Democrats and STAN are polling at around 15%.

Experts Sceptical of Success

Political scientist Lukáš Jelínek doubts the Pirates will take the lead of the opposition anytime soon: the party is seen as the most ideologically driven among the non-governing forces, which puts off some opposition-minded voters, and Hřib's leadership style has been called self-assured, if not outright arrogant, by some. Still, the expert admits the Pirates' proposals look competent and could win over new supporters.

Pollsters note that voters today barely read party programmes at all. "A programme today matters far less than the leaders and their sincerity," says Michal Kormaňák of Ipsos. Sociologist Daniel Prokop of PAQ Research adds that the differences between party programmes aren't as stark as social media might suggest: "Everywhere you look, there's a centrist approach — radical proposals on taxes or spending are completely absent. Our entire political debate is centrist."

Pre-Election Campaigns and the Bid to Poach ANO Voters

Besides the Pirates, three other parties have launched campaigns ahead of October's municipal and Senate elections. The Civic Democrats went with the slogan "We won't hand them the Senate," arguing that the current government is dismantling the rules of the game. The STAN movement chose the motto "The time has come" — chairman Vít Rakušan explained that the party wants to appeal to voters from "the other camp," meaning disillusioned ANO supporters. The Christian Democrats have a similar goal, planning to run a continuous campaign for the full three years leading up to the 2029 parliamentary election.

Political scientist Lubomír Kopeček of Masaryk University is sceptical of these efforts, noting that there has been no significant shift of voters between ANO and the opposition, nor is one happening now — Czech politics is remarkably stable in that regard. In his view, the opposition will have no choice but to unite in some form before the 2029 election.

This week also saw the non-parliamentary but ambitious movement "Naše Česko" (Our Czechia), led by South Bohemian governor Martin Kuba, enter the fray. Pollsters say it's the only force capable of drawing votes from both camps, though it's currently polling below 5%. The movement presented its "value decalogue," insisting that its performance should be judged by concrete results — building roads and railways, housing, and the functioning of hospitals, schools and public institutions.

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Source: seznamzpravy.cz