The day after the elections in the Czech Republic, Slovak politicians are also reacting to the results. Both the opposition and the coalition agree on respecting vox populi. Nevertheless, comments tackle also on Babiš’s communist past and Slovak nationality.
"I congratulate the citizens of the Czech Republic on peaceful and democratic elections with high voter turnout. I also congratulate the winner of the elections, the ANO movement and its chairman Andrej Babiš. I believe that after the elections, the Czech Republic will have a government that will contribute to the development of Slovak-Czech relations and help revive cooperation within the V4 countries," Slovak President Peter Pellegrini wrote on Saturday in his reaction to the results of the general elections in Czechia.
The leader of the winning party ANO, Slovak born Andrej Babiš wants relations between Slovakia and the Czech Republic to function as they did under his previous government. He also wants the Visegrad Four (V4) to be strong again. Outgoing Prime Minister Petr Fiala broke up the V4 because he did not understand it, the Bratislava native told reporters in Slovak at the ANO election headquarters.
Prime Minister Robert Fico and the head of his SMER party parliamentary caucus Ján Richter welcome the results. They believe that Czechoslovak cooperation at the government level will be restored and are keen to see the V4 format consisting of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia strengthened.
"From the perspective of the new prime minister taking office, I think the V4 is a little stronger. It will depend greatly on whether Babiš, Orbán, and Fico will be able to persuade the Polish prime minister in the same spirit." He added that Czech-Slovak relations will stabilise with Babis’ return to power: "From the time when I was minister, we worked very well together in European councils and at the ministerial level. We were always able to agree on a common approach."
Ján Richter also praised the high voter turnout in the Czech elections. He does not mind the winner's communist past, which was criticized by Igor Matovič, chairman of the Slovensko movement: "The Czechs couldn't find a decent man among themselves and had to choose a Slovak secret police officer as prime minister. On the other hand, it's a parliamentary democracy, so that's what they decided."
However, he respects the election results and the voters' decision. Branislav Grohling from SaS also respects the results, even though he finds Petr Fiala's government more appealing than the victorious ANO movement led by Andrej Babiš. "If there is a will to meet with the prime minister or individual ministers of his government, then of course we will meet," said Grohling.
Opposition MP for KDH Igor Janckulík hopes that the new government will benefit ordinary Czechs and Slovaks. "There is a strong bond between the people of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. I know that people go there for work, they have families there, on both sides of the border."
Source: TASR, Dominika Žilová, Slovenský rozhlas
