Event report

Participants at the roundtable discussion were Nikolett Garai from IFAT, Hungary; Pavel Havlicek from AMO, Czech Republic; Vit Havelka from the EUROPEUM Institute. The discussion was moderated by Tamás Molnár from IFAT, Hungary. The participants were asked to explain the outcomes of the Czech parliamentary elections of 2022 and the outcomes. There was a heavy emphasis given to the fact that the Czech president's health was failing which generated political difficulties for forming the new Czech government. It became clear that ANO Party of the Czech Republic remained the most popular party, though a combination of political forces were able to defeat it at the election. The reasons behind this political shift was also brought up in the discussion. The possible directions of the future government of Czechia was also addressed. The participants agreed that a 3+2 type coalition between the Christian Democratic parties and the Mayors and Pirates formation is the most likely to form. Whether the new Czech government will continue the present line of foreign policy or take a turn was also addressed: most participants agreed that minor shift can occur, and for quite some time there will be a distancing from the V4 format as well, but eventually Prague will need the V4 format just like previous governments.