This check is a beautiful September afternoon in the capital Prague.
Football fans are making their way for a Champions League match at the stadium which is home to the football club Slavia Prague.
A group of campaigners with wicker baskets and clothes and pen -filled fabric bags stand outside the nearby Eden shopping mall. Among them are External Affairs Minister John Lipvski, who is carefully seen by a prudent security details.
Lipvski is one of the senior members of the ruling center-rights political alliance, Spolu (simultaneously), and one of its most popular politicians.
He is here to convince voters to return the government of Prime Minister Petri Fiala in the parliamentary elections on 3 and 4 October, giving them four years.
Pro-ouxion and a western orientation
“This election is real about the future orientation of this country,” Lipvsky told DW. “For the first time, Putin’s openly collaboration with Russia is arriving for power.”
“This is the main reason I am running in this election,” he said, “I believe we can sue the country’s western-western curriculum in maintenance. And it is incredibly imported.”
Parties in the ruling coalition are campaigning on their clear Forebin Policy Line, which is based on full and unqualified support for Ukraine. Most voters like Petar Fiala’s government.
Czechia, which has a population of 10 million, has taken over half a million Ukrainian refugees, many of which got housing and got the support of private citizens.
Prague supplies Ukraine with weapons and ammunition, and Petra Fiala was part of the first group of European leaders to travel to Kiev after attacking Ukraine in February 2022.
Disappointment pensioner
“I wish you a lot of luck,” tells a gray-child pensioner to Lipvski. She says, “I am trying to convince me as much as possible in my circle to vote,” she says.
But this woman is an exception in her age group rather than rules. The vast majority of the check pensioners are deeply disappointed with the government and intended to vote for the opposition.
Two years ago, the Fiala government limited the annual growth in pension to reduce the country’s budget deficit. To date, most pensioners see it as a betrayal.
“Fiala is a criminal. The government gave money to Ukrainian instead of the US check. I will never vote for you,” says an angry penisian for a preacher, as he takes a new flat-screen television from the shopping mall.
As an election day approach, most of the checks are unhappy about the government’s penance policies, dull economic development and high inflation. Fiala is blamed for poverty and high prices.
Economic reforms for the government are too late?
But it is thanks to the government’s penance policies that the budget deficit of Czechia is now low that 2% of GDP, its rating is better than France and the average large monthly income in the country has exceeded 5% and for the first time, more than € 2,000 ($ 2.300).
Inflation is at 2.5%, making it the lowest in the VisEgrad (V4) group, which included Poland, Chechia, Slovakia and Hungary.
Check houses are spending more than ever, and travel agencies reported record demand in this summer.
“I hoped this positive economic news would come a little early,” Foreign Minister Lipvsky told DW. “I don’t know if it’s already too late.”
Further protest in elections
Over a week to get into the election, referendum surveys indicate that Spolu will get about 20% of the votes.
Dissatisfied citizens (ANO) The party’s opposition action is more than 10 percent at 31%.
Together, the ruling alliance and parties of any possible partners are expected to get about 40% of the votes, which will not be sufficient to form a coalition government after the election.
Government change on card?
ANO party leader, Andrez Babis, expects the Prime Minister to be re -elected after four years in the opposition.
The right -wing populous elite class is putting everything in this campaign, even giving it precedence to run its business. For weeks, he is crossing the country, meeting voters several times a day.
His team is flooding social media with the video. It has collected sweets, T-shirts and even shorts for the election. Although they are not cheap, the thesis items of clothing are proving to be popular not only with supporters, but because there is no innovation gift with those who completely oppose Babis and AO.
‘Choose a better life!’
Babis is promising checks. On hoardings across the country, he portrays Himal as a type of savior, leaving high pension, low mortgage and low prices. His choice slogan “Choose a better life!”
He is targeting the Green Deal of the European Union, which in 2027 promises not to present the Emission Certificate (ETS 2) of the European Union for homes as per the plan. Voters are afraid that the introduction of these certificates will increase the price for heating and fuel.
Babis avoid talking about other foreign policy issues and have not openly spoken against the continuation of the country’s support for Ukraine.
At the same time, however, he is not criticizing far-flung freedom and direct democracy movement or far and wide styles! (Enough!) Movement, with which he expects to form an alliance after the election.
Both sides are Russian supporters and are calling Czechia to leave Big NATO and European Union.
Government needs a ‘political miracle’
About Foreign Policy – and all questions of the country’s attitude on Ukraine and Russia – have played an important role in the Czech election campaign, said Lubomeir Copkek, a political scientist at Massoric University in Bron.
“Foreign and security policy issues are more important in these elections, as they were in the Czech Republic in the last elections,” he told DW.
“Nevertheless, this would not be sufficient to reverse the current trend in favor of the ruling parties,” Kopek said. He believes that most of the voters will be extracted from financial views on the day of election and it has been said that the checks are seeing things for the economy that it is too late for the Fiala government.
“If elections were held in one year time and to continue the economy because it is in the last six months, the situation will be different,” Kopek said. “There is a chance that Petra Fiala’s government will remain in power, but if this happens then it will be a political miracle.”
This article was the original published in German.