Jan Charvát, an expert in political extremism at the Czech Republic’s National Institute on Systems Risk, believes the fact that the new Czech President, Petr Pavel, has now taken office could ameliorate extreme sentiment in society to a certain extent. However, given that the causes of Czech society’s radicalization are deeply engrained and date back to the 1990s, Czech populism is not “down for the count”, he said in a press release.
Pavel’s five-year term began last Thursday. During the second round of the presidential election in January he defeated former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (Association of Dissatisfied Citizens – ANO).

The new president won more than 3.3 million votes, while his opponent won 2.4 million. “Petr Pavel’s victory was unambiguous, but that is just one of many steps. We’re not living in a movie where good suddenly triumphs over evil once and for all,” Charvát said, recalling how many people voted for Babiš.

In his inaugural speech, Pavel said that both those who never voted and those who did vote for any of the candidates are now all on the same team. He wants to bring society together.

According to Charvát, this change in rhetoric after the end of former Czech President Miloš Zeman’s two terms in office could contribute to a certain amelioration of extreme sentiment in Czech society. However, there is a long way to go to get back to normal, in his view, after 20 years of rule by Zeman and his predecessor, Václav Klaus.

The causes of Czech society’s radicalization, according to Charvát, run deep and are rooted in the transformation of the 1990s. He believes the migration crisis of 2015 contributed to a sharp rise in radicalization, as did the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021.

According to Charvát, communications errors by the current cabinet of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (Civic Democratic Party – ODS) are contributing to the growing number of dissatisfied people. This distrust of politicians and the state itself means they want a complete transformation of the political system.

“We have a million people under collections proceedings, a disadvantaged periphery, a state apparatus that does not function well. Many people are badly off and actually do not believe good has triumphed over evil,” he said.

According to Charvát, politicians and the state apparatus must not send the message that less successful people are to blame for their condition. “People cannot help having been born into a poor family or a backward region, but those facts quite dramatically influence their opportunities. Instead of telling them that they themselves are to blame, it would be more appropriate to aid them so they can have similar chances like everybody else,” he said.
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