Page 7 - bne IntelliNews Georgia country report November 2017

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November 11, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 7
democracy could pose a grave danger? Six civil society groups that say the republic of 10.6mn should take no chances are planning a “Freedom Festival” on the November 17 national holiday that in part commemorates the start of the 1989 Velvet Revolution. In a wake-up call, they will urge those who gather to confront populism, extremism and disinformation (the fact that Babis is the owner of many Czech media outlets, including two of the country's handful of serious tabloids, is one worry for democracy activists).
November 1 brought an interesting development when Chief Justice Pavel Rychetsky of the Constitutional Court told Hospodarske noviny that he imagines that one of the “democratic parties” will realise that a one-party minority government –possibly backed by the Communists (15 MPs) from the wings, given that they are the only party so far to have indicated that they have no problem tolerating a minority administration – will not be good for democracy and will dutifully attempt to make a coalition.
There is anxiety in circulation that Babis, a single-minded business brain who, having
little time for politicians has mused that he might be minded to abolish the Senate and
cut the number of MPs by half, will resort to illiberal, authoritarian but 'efficient' tendencies. Rychetsky reportedly also said that the Senate and the Constitution itself are safeguards against fundamental changes to the Constitution. Article 9, he pointed out, forbade any alterations to the “fundamental facets of the democratic, rule-of- law state” and it is down to the Constitutional Court to interpret this.
Get set for a technocratic cabinet
An intriguing prospect is that Babis will pack his cabinet with experts and present a technocratic government that will, at least initially, win plenty of public acclaim. “A so-called government of experts has always been popular in this country,” Josef Mlejnek, a political scientist at Charles Uni- versity in Prague, told Bloomberg on November 2. This, he added, “could put pressure on the other
political parties to support it because they will feel that if they don’t, public opinion will turn even more against them”.
Babis this week turned to Facebook in his search for experts who could take over the trade and industry, education and defence ministries. Having already had several refusals from prominent figures such as university rectors, civil servants and military men, Babis conceded he would not be able to form a cabinet at his first attempt, but remained optimistic a suitable line- up was within reach.
One test of his management skills will be how he goes about ensuring the obedience and unity of Ano members involved on the municipal, regional and national levels given that he now has twice as many MPs to oversee. The task could prove cum- bersome, political analyst Jiri Pehe told Pravo dai- ly, observing that despite his sweeping win in the election it will be far from easy for Babis to be- come the “saviour” of Czech society and politics.
No EU or foreign policy team
In his election day victory speech at Ano's headquarters, agrochemicals and foodstuffs entrepreneur Babis said he was puzzled at how anybody could “label us as a threat to democracy”. Czech citizens had rejected “the disinformation campaign against us... a democratic movement [that is] pro-European and pro-Nato...” he added. Pro-European? Maybe so, but certainly not with any gusto.
Since entering politics, Babis, in contrast to his sometimes obsessive pursuit of certain domes- tic issues, hasn't truly built a foreign policy or
EU team in his party. What's more his undiluted opposition to European migrant quotas as well as his euroscepticism, in a country that is decid- edly unconvinced by Brussels and plumb against adopting the euro, delivered tonnes of votes. It is clear Babis is not for 'more Europe' from feder- alisation and will be quick to oppose anything he regards as EU over-reach, but as for a deeper, coherent ideology on where Czechia should stand