Conflict instead of Struggle
A Conversation about Politics and Society in the Czech Republic
Kai-Olaf Lang, Volker Weichsel
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The Czech Republic is considered a stable country in East Central Europe. Attacks on the separation of powers and the rule of law, as they are known in Hungary and Poland, do not exist in the Czech Republic. This has to do with the country’s political culture, a high degree of pragmatism, and less-pronounced social antagonisms. But the Czech Republic is also no bulwark of democracy, pluralism, and the rule of law. The EU authorities have Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in their sights for conflict of interest and suspected corruption. And a considerable potential of diffuse dissatisfaction, aversion to elites, and distrust of state institutions has built up in society and could be unleashed in 2021 elections.
(Osteuropa 4-6/2021, pp. 91–100)