Bárta vs. Babiš

Newly elected Chair Vít Bárta of VV boasted about the success his party had in saving meal vouchers and announced that lowering food prices is the next item on VV's agenda. He wants to abolish the law on significant market power, which puts restrictions on the payment terms that large grocery-store chains impose on suppliers. Bárta presented this as a way to save consumers from Andrej Babiš, whom Bárta openly called a crook and blamed for the sharp rise in bread prices. The implication was that the law on significant market power helps Babiš, but Babiš threw a wrench in Bárta's plans by announcing that he, too, welcomes the abolition of the law. VV, with 11 MPs but only a 0.7% approval rating, needs a killer topic to remain politically relevant. High food prices isn't a bad one, but explaining to voters what can be done about them will be much more difficult than riding the popularity wave of meal tickets.