June 10, 2024
Thanks to everybody who voted for me. I take it as an appreciation of my five-year work within the European Parliament, says Alexandr Vondra
(iDNES.cz) I feel that the results of the Spolu coalition is stable if we evaluate it with the common in Europe. We aimed for victory, however with humility and pleasure we settle for a really stable second place with six mandates, says Alexandr Vondra, 62-year-old chief of the Spolu candidate, member of the European Parliament, former dissident, diplomat and minister, in an interview for iDNES.cz.
How do you understand your success within the elections, if you acquired 118,492 preferential votes?
I thank everybody who voted for me, together with voters from northern Bohemia and Litoměřice. I’m very completely satisfied about it. I take it as an appreciation of my five-year work within the European Parliament, which was heard about, as a result of I’m not somebody who would disappear there for 5 years and nobody would learn about him. I see it as encouragement for additional work.
The opposition events have succeeded considerably, what do you say?
I might say it is the identical throughout virtually all of Europe. Take a look at how authorities tents turned out in France or Germany, just like the peasants close to Chlumek. I feel the results of the Spolu coalition is stable if we evaluate it with the common in Europe. We aimed for victory, however we humbly and fortunately settle for a really stable second place with six mandates.
After 30 years because the revolution, the communists obtained into the European Parliament once more, hiding behind the model Sufficient! How do you understand it?
Kateřina Konečná’s world is totally totally different from mine. I might say that we differ in virtually every part. Then again, I understand it in the way in which that she labored it out for her constituents. We are able to by no means count on to have all voters on our aspect. And she or he did it for her voters with a powerful marketing campaign and robust rhetoric. Though they’re communists, they have been very impressed by Sahra Wagenknecht in rebranding, who additionally succeeded on this sense and surpassed 5 % (Wagenknecht was the vice-president of the German celebration Die Linke. Since January 2024, she has been the president of Sahra Wagenknecht’s Alliance – Purpose and Justice – editor’s word). As somebody who participated absolutely within the marketing campaign and had Konečná as my opponent in lots of discussions, I used to be not stunned that she recorded this outcome.
Can the results of the European elections be taken as a referendum on the federal government?
I feel that it can’t be taken that means. That might be an oversimplification. Andrej Babiš and ANO managed to boost the voter turnout greater than we anticipated. This greater turnout for ANO most likely helped, and a number of the folks they managed to boost may see their participation within the elections as criticism of the federal government. Nonetheless, it’s the center of the reign, when for the primary two years the federal government needed to take some unpopular measures, as a result of it took over the state funds after Babiš’s eight-year reign was virtually in shambles. In fact, you pay for that at halftime, that is simply the way in which it goes. The election is a yr and a half away, and the enhancing financial system shall be on the aspect of the federal government. However we have been harm essentially the most by inflation, which individuals weren’t used to. Czechs are a thrifty nation and inflation, though attributable to exterior components, battle, vitality disaster, is one thing that has objectively precipitated issues for many individuals. We now have a yr and a half left to point out that this time is over and that the financial system is beginning to do effectively. This generates hope for a greater outcome within the subsequent parliamentary elections.
What does the present outcome imply for the subsequent election?
Motorists are most likely the most important shock. I actually did not count on a double-digit outcome right here. Nonetheless, it’s questionable whether or not this one-dimensional give attention to vehicles shall be ample for the parliamentary elections. I feel that the ban on inner combustion engines will be modified earlier than the subsequent parliamentary elections. I additionally need to advocate for it.
Usually talking, for the subsequent election, the present outcome means a stimulus for the right way to higher talk with the voters. We are able to see it, for instance, within the success of Filip Turk. These days, particularly for youthful voters, it’s essential to speak on social networks. The mainstream events should be taught from this and intensify communication on this route in the event that they need to proceed to have wonderful outcomes.
What would be the activity of the European Parliament within the subsequent interval?
There’s an evident shift to the proper, though it won’t be a revolution. Nonetheless, I feel that evolutionarily it should transfer extra from the inexperienced socialist ideology of regulatory mania to a larger diploma of financial freedom and extra practical politics. That shall be one consequence that I feel shall be optimistic. The second factor is that the assist of Ukraine and the barrier towards Russian expansionism will take extra effort than earlier than, however I feel we can preserve the route.
The interview was revealed on the server iDNES.cz.
Alexander Vondra
the chief of the European candidate of the TOGETHER coalition
celebration vice-chairman
MEP