The far-right extra-parliamentary Workers‘ Party of Social Justice (DSSS) is making the most of the current anti-Roma atmosphere and will receive so many votes in the Czech early election that the state will pay a contribution to it, daily Lidove noviny (LN) writes Saturday, referring to experts.
Far-right extremists have not had a place in top politics since 1998 when the SPR-RSC, headed by Miroslav Sladek, was not re-elected to the Chamber of Deputies, LN writes. The paper points to the case of the Stare Zdanice village, east Bohemia, with some 700 residents. Some of them resent the noise and disorder allegedly produced by local Roma, it adds. The locals resolved the problem in their peculiar way, by inviting the DSSS for a public rally there, LN writes. The case of the village has confirmed the fear of foreign institutions that an increasing number of people tend to champion the extremists‘ cause, it adds.
„The people do not advocate any racist or extremist ideas, but they intensively resolve the problem in their place of residence. They have the feeling that political elites do not help them in this,“ Petra Vejvodova, from the Masaryk University in Brno, told the paper. Vejvodova is a specialist in far-right extremism. The growing resentment of the „unadaptive Roma“ is used by the DSSS, LN writes. However, the party is unlikely to cross the five-percent threshold necessary to enter the Chamber of Deputies, it adds. „I think it can get some 3 percent of votes,“ Vejvodova said. However, if local elections were held now, the extremists would score a bigger success, she added.
Josef Zouhar, author of expert reports on extremism, said he believed the party would double its 2009 result when it gained 1,14 percent of votes. The party also has some competition, Zouhar said. „Some moderate, but still radical voters, will be won over by Tomio Okamura’s Dawn of Direct Democracy and the DSSS will also vie for voters‘ favour with the political project launched by Jana Bobosikova,“ he added. „Who is an extremist? The man who resents the disorder and filth in the street?“ senator Okamura wrote to LN. „Or the man who is outraged at the current political elite that does not care about him, that lies to him and cheats him? Yes, this is my voter,“ he added.
Okamura is to win over extremist voters by his recently repeated statement about Roma, LN writes. Okamura said they should seek their own state or move from the Czech Republic to some Indian state, it adds. The experts agree that the DSSS is almost certain to get the state contribution. If elected by at least 1.5 percent, the Finance Ministry will pay 100 crowns per one vote to it annually. The DSSS is a successor to the Workers‘ Party (DS). The Supreme Administrative Court (NSS) dissolved the DS in February 2010, concluding that its programme, ideas and symbols contain the elements of xenophobia, chauvinism, homophobia and racism. At present, the DSSS is ready to finance its campaign from its e-shop and sponsorship gifts from its following. „As we have no rich sponsors, no coal moguls and the like, the campaign will be rather modest. But this will be enough to address the general public,“ party leader Tomas Vandas is quoted as saying. The early general election is scheduled for October 25-26.
Source: Prague Daily Monitor
Date: 14.09.2013