Babiš cannot forget how Pirates hold him accountable for unjustified contracts when governing Prague

Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0 Author: NoJin
In February 2020, the Mayor of Prague, Hřib, ceremonially renamed a plaza in honour of Boris Nemtsov, the assassinated Russian dissident.

Prague has historically served as a symbol of national pride, particularly following the 1968 uprising against Soviet control and its support for the Dalai Lama in the face of Beijing’s attempts to influence the city’s foreign policy. This steadfast stance has resulted in populist and far-right parties viewing the capital of the Czech Republic as a significant adversary.

In November 2018, Zdeněk Hřib from the Pirates party was elected Mayor of Prague, with the backing of the Prague Together and UFP coalitions. The new administration has focused on holding Andrej Babiš accountable for perceived unjustified subsidies and contracts. Babiš and his party have not overlooked what they lost during the Pirates’ governing, resulting in a sustained campaign against Hřib and the Pirates.

Zdeněk Hřib, the current leader of the Pirates, noted on X that “Praguers remember ANO’s governance in Prague as a period of chaos when the Troja footbridge collapsed.”

During the tenure of the ANO party, led by Babiš, issues of corruption escalated, and essential infrastructure suffered from inadequate maintenance. The collapse of the Troja footbridge across the Vltava River in April 2017, which left four individuals injured, underscored the concerns regarding the condition of other bridges in the city.

In stark contrast, under the leadership of the Pirates, Prague has witnessed considerable development, as highlighted by Mayor Hřib.

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