Poll: Czechs see President Pavel, not parliamentary opposition leaders, as the most visible face of the opposition

Czechs regard President Petr Pavel — rather than the current leaders of the parliamentary opposition — as the most visible representative of opposition to the government. This is according to a poll by the NMS agency, in which respondents were asked an open-ended question with no pre-set answer options.

Pavel was named the most visible opposition figure by 18% of respondents, putting him in first place, followed by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš himself with 14%. Next came ODS leader Martin Kupka (8%), STAN leader Vít Rakušan (7%) and former prime minister and ex-ODS chairman Petr Fiala (4%).

The president, cast unwillingly in the role of opposition leader

"The opposition lacks a clear leader, and partly as a result of his conflicts with the government, the president has unintentionally taken on that role. However, the president's job can never be to propose an alternative policy agenda, let alone to defeat the government at the ballot box," said NMS political analyst Tereza Friedrichová, commenting on the results.

She also noted it was striking that Andrej Babiš's constantly combative style has led roughly one in seven respondents to name the prime minister himself as the most prominent opposition politician — despite the fact that he is the one heading the government.

"That surprises me — it's a rather odd result," admitted Michal Malý, a political scientist at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University.

Babiš — the prime minister who's in opposition to everyone

According to the expert, the prime minister frequently positions himself in contrast to the previous Fiala government, and that kind of distancing can still resonate with voters. In the same way, Babiš regularly clashes with EU policy or with President Petr Pavel.

"Czechs have always attributed more importance to the presidency than it actually holds. That's why people may also perceive the prime minister as being in opposition to the Castle," Malý explained. "Andrej Babiš is the prime minister, but in essence he stands in opposition to everyone else," he concluded.

"He's the kind of politician who's always opposing something. So when people hear the phrase 'opposition politician,' he's the one who comes to mind — even though he currently holds the post of prime minister," Friedrichová added.

Kupka could learn a thing or two from the prime minister

"Martin Kupka could learn a thing or two," the political scientist remarked wryly. According to the poll, the leader of the strongest opposition party, ODS, trails only the sitting prime minister among opposition figures.

Even among voters of the Spolu coalition (uniting ODS, TOP 09 and the Christian Democrats), 22% named Pavel as the most visible opposition figure, while only 15% mentioned Kupka. STAN supporters, meanwhile, consider their own party chairman, Vít Rakušan, the leading opposition figure.

Malý noted that the opposition in the Chamber of Deputies remains fragmented, and unless it unites, the situation will stay confusing for voters. "There's no doubt the prime minister has managed to portray President Pavel as the opposition leader. The question is what would happen if Pavel were to win decisively in the upcoming presidential election. If, as Babiš claims, he's effectively already leading the opposition, that would become a matter of real significance," the political scientist concluded.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz