According to a recent public opinion poll, President Petr Pavel is considered the most recognisable opposition politician in Czechia, with sitting Prime Minister Andrej Babiš coming in second — while also topping the list of the most visible opposition MPs. Political journalists Lucie Stuchlíková and Václav Dolejší discussed this paradox in a special episode of the Vlevo dole podcast.
According to Stuchlíková, Babiš manages to come across as an "opposition figure" even while in power: he criticises former Prime Minister Petr Fiala, who is no longer running the country, argues with his own ministers, and sometimes contradicts himself, completely reversing his position within a matter of days.
Dolejší sees the poll results as evidence of the weakness of the current opposition leadership, which failed to secure even the top two spots in the ranking. He suggests another possible explanation: supporters of the ANO movement are so loyal that when asked "who is the best politician," they automatically name Andrej Babiš without waiting for further clarification.
In the same episode, the journalists also touched on other political topics — including whether it would make sense to appoint Filip Turek foreign minister instead of Macinka, and whether politician Jaroslav Faltýnek still holds sway over Babiš.
Source: seznamzpravy.cz