Babiš on Konečná joining the Patriots: no need for communists

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš told the Chamber of Deputies that the country “no longer needs a communist party” because voters have the ANO movement. The remark was prompted by MEP Kateřina Konečná’s move to the Patriots for Europe group.

What Babiš said

Responding to an interpellation from ODS leader Martin Kupka, Babiš said, somewhat vaguely, that one must distinguish between Kateřina Konečná the MEP and Kateřina Konečná who, as he put it, “may or may not be with the communists.” He said he disagrees with her entirely on international and domestic matters, but that they share views on Europe: a union of sovereign states, opposition to the Green Deal and to illegal migration.

Babiš himself was a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia before 1989. He accused ODS of having cooperated with the communists in the past, for example in presidential elections. “We got them out of the Chamber and defeated Konečná,” the prime minister boasted, referring to the fact that KSČM is no longer represented in parliament. In his words, the present political system has no need for a communist party, because ANO is a party “for everyone” that tries to appeal to any voter.

What is known about Konečná’s move

Konečná was elected to the European Parliament on the Stačilo! ticket and announced on Wednesday that she will join the right-wing populist Patriots for Europe group. It already includes seven MEPs from ANO and Antonín Staněk (elected for Přísaha). It is the third-largest political group in the European Parliament.

Until now Konečná had not belonged to any group, which she said limited her ability to push her program. The decision of the former chair of the KSČM Central Committee surprised some of her comrades.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz