Scandals and conspiracy theories in Czech politics

Political scandals that have rocked the Czech Republic in recent months are not only only products of concrete events, such as revelations about dubious financing practices of various Czech parties. They are also, on a more general level, products of the bad political situation in the country. Numerous conspiracy theories that have recently emerged--some of them contributing to the scandals--are symptomatic of the unhealthy state of Czech politics.

On the most general level, the Czech political system is in turmoil mainly because the political establishment of the transformation period, which was perhaps best represented by former Prime MInister Vaclav Klaus and his Civic Democratic Party (ODS), is disintegrating. That process began approximately in 1995 when Klaus announced that the transformation process in the Czech Republic was basically over. Since then, the ideas, the political vocabulary, and the political style of the Klaus-led coalition began to be increasingly ineffective.

After the elections in 1996, which the Klaus-led coalition lost, it became apparent that the ODS and its coalition allies need to transform themselves. The political language of the large-scale reforms, such as privatization, became obsolete. Although quite a few privatization projects still needed to be completed, the Klaus government had clearly missed its chance to do so with the public on its side. People began to be concerned more with matters such as the education system, housing, or the health care system. However, Klaus, in particular, found it difficult to move from the black-and-white vocabulary of the transformation period to a more complex one. The coalition that had appeared to be so good in "painting" on a large canvas of historical proportions, was suddenly quite helpless in dealing with more "mundane" matters, such as the rule of law, education or health care.

The process of disintegration of the Klaus-led political establishment accelerated in December 1997 when the ODS began to fall apart under the pressure of a party financing scandal. A month later, a similar process started in the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA), which for several years had been one of the two of the ODS's coalition partners. The scandals that harmed the ODS and virtually destroyed the ODA were in essence the indirect products of the coalition's neglect of the rule of law. In other words: economic corruption in the end caught up with those parties that allowed it to spread as a cancer throughout society.

The continuing disintegration of the political establishment of the transformation period created a political vacuum. The only new party that has emerged so far is the Union of Freedom (US), which was formed by politicians who left the ODS. But the Czech political system clearly needs more changes. Some other new parties may emerge but the existing parties will certainly have to go through the process of leadership changes. They also need to change their political style and shift their focus from ideological approaches to dealing with important economic and political themes.

The political style of the transformation period was based on often mindless, ideologically driven conflicts and confrontation rather than consensus-seeking among major parties. But an increasing number of Czech are--as opinion polls show--tired of such a style. They are also tired of mutual personal animosities among leading politicians. Such animosities often influence important political decisions.

The confusing political situation is a fertile environment for a variety of conspiracy theories and new scandals. The opposition Social Democratic Party (CSSD) has been recently rocked by a scandal. Documents publicized by Czech TV indicated that CSSD chairman Milos Zeman and some of his associates traveled in 1995 to Germany for meetings with Czech-Swiss businessmen who demanded posts in a CSSD-led administration in exchange for financial support. Zeman claimed the documents were part of a larger conspiracy against the CSSD.

Some journalists and politicians have alleged that some of the major developments in Czech domestic politics, such as the collapse of the Klaus government, were instigated by President Havel and his associates--a group often called "the Castle." The Castle prominently features in a number of popular conspiracy theories. The reason is clear: in the unstable political system, the President represents the only firm point. Most movements on the domestic political scene, may they be positive or negative, are thus often associated with "the Castle."

In the most recent scandal, Milos Zeman released documents allegedly showing that US Chairman and former Internal Affairs Minister Jan Ruml, as well as the President, conspired to overthrow the Klaus government. According to the documents, Ruml also asked the Czech intelligence to launch a campaign aimed at discrediting the CSSD. The documents, as most politicians and experts agree, are clearly fakes. But the fact Zeman has used them is symptomatic of the current situation in the country.

Ordinary people, being confused by the political situation, often want simple answers to complicated problems. Conspiracy theories provide such answers: major political developments are organized by dark forces working behind-the-scenes. In fact, the only dark forces that most likely do exist are, as one Czech politician has put it, the people who were working for the communist-era secret services. The willingness of politicians such as Zeman to use fabricated documents is playing into the hands of such people--the people who still hope to destabilize the democratic system as such.

Reuters - 7. 5. 1998