Liberals in an illiberal world
If we see the regional elections as a sort of voter survey for the 2021 parliamentary elections, the key message is that ANO, the Pirates and ODS have their positions in Parliament assured, whereas doubts remain about everyone else. An actual voter poll in Sept. from CVVM received little mainstream coverage but can serve as a dire warning to those who think that Andrej Babiš's days are numbered. In that survey, only five parties would make it into Parliament (ANO, Pirates, ODS, ČSSD, KSČM), and Babiš could form a coalition with any single one of them. That is the nightmare of all nightmares for "liberal" parties trying to counter ANO's "illiberal" agenda on the national level. However, the question in the coming months is whether ANO will continue to be part of the "illiberal" camp. If Health Min. Roman Prymula remains in shutdown mode, and all of the liberal West is doing the same illiberal things in the name of saving lives, whom will today's illiberal Czech voters vote for?
Glossary of difficult words
dire - urgent or extremely serious;
shutdown - a closure of a factory or system.