Former Czech President Miloš Zeman has urged the leadership of the ANO movement to convince its chairman, Andrej Babiš, to continue in politics. Zeman, who met with Babiš on Wednesday, criticized him for the mistakes he made during the presidential campaign. However, he acknowledged that there are too few genuine personalities in politics and emphasized the need for Babiš to remain in the political arena. During their friendly conversation, Zeman pointed out three mistakes made by Babiš during the presidential campaign. He stated that Babiš neglected the economic crisis, which has led to a decline in people’s living standards. Zeman also considered the election billboard that read “Babiš is not a soldier, but a diplomat” a mistake. Finally, he believed that Babiš labeled the election a referendum on himself, which was also a mistake. Despite these criticisms, Zeman acknowledged that Babiš performed well in the television debates. Babiš tried to persuade Zeman to change his mind about retiring from politics during their meeting. Zeman’s new office, located in Prague’s Dejvice district, was opened last week. He plans to give interviews to the media or meet with people who request a meeting once a week. However, he clarified that he would not be inviting anyone to his initiative. It will depend on representatives of other political parties, not just the ANO movement, whether meetings with them will take place. Zeman also announced that anyone interested in meeting with him can contact the Friends of Miloš Zeman Association, which pays for his office. His team will soon create an email address where people can request a meeting with him. The ANO movement is a center-right political party founded in 2011 by Andrej Babiš, who served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2021. Babiš resigned from his post as Prime Minister in June 2021 following allegations of conflict of interest. He had previously served as the Finance Minister of the Czech Republic from 2014 to 2017. The ANO movement is currently the largest party in the Czech Chamber of Deputies, with 78 out of 200 seats. Zeman’s call for Babiš to remain in politics comes ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2021. The ANO movement is likely to play a significant role in the elections, and Babiš’s decision to continue in politics will be crucial to the party’s success.

Article by Prague Forum