Can Havel help the Czech Greens?
“Every party and every political grouping which was expressly recommended by former President Vaclav Havel in the run-up to the elections had a problem because of this at the polls,” writes Jiri Hanak. The Demoratic Civic Forum, the Civic Movement, the Civic Democratic Alliance and the Freedom Union – all parties that Havel had specially recommended to the people – were defeated in the end. “Havel’s recommendations were like the kiss of death for these parties.” However, according to Hanak, this is not the real reason they failed. “What all these parties had in common was their liberal orientation; an orientation that is not very popular in the Czech Republic. Now Havel is pinning his hopes on the Greens, who are about to enter parliament for the first time.
