For Europe, 2023 is destined to be an extraordinary year. Facing the energy crisis, weak reforms, increased debt levels, and high inflation rates, European countries, such as France and Germany, continue negative trends in 2022. Anti-government protests have been ongoing. It should be noted that the situation in the Czech Republic has drawn the attention of the international community. Massive protests called for by opposition parties, labor unions, and non-governmental organizations have broken out in the Czech Republic for the past few months.

Features of the protests are broad participation, increased demand, and rapid spread. The Czech Republic engulfed in a deeper crisis as new waves of protests. According to the latest survey conducted by the Public Opinion Research Center of the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the current government has been rated as the worst government in the past 10 years. Only 24 percent of the survey respondents were satisfied with the government. Social crisis seemed imminent.

Increasing political polarization

There are substantial differences between governing coalitions and opposition parties, such as in political values and social influence. It has led to intensifying political division and partisan battles. The candidates fought for limelight during the presidential election campaign, especially the founding leader of ANO 2011 Andrej Babiš, who was implicated in a corruption scandal. Some Czech media described the presidential election as a fight between "democracy, respect for the constitution and a pro-Western orientation against populism, lies and leaning towards Russia". Partisan disputes are ubiquitous in the Parliament. The Czech government is currently facing a number of challenges and hurdles, such as the slow pace of legislative reforms, industrial restructuring, healthcare, and pension reform. However, the parties placed its self-interest first rather than the national interests. Partisan Sectarianism is wrecking the Czech Republic.

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Deteriorating economic situation

It became obvious that the Czech economy was not as healthy as it had been believed. The Ministry of Finance reported that the Czech Republic’s budget for March 2023 showed the deficit was 166.2 billion Czech crowns (about 7.825 billion dollars). It was the worst result for the first quarter since the country’s founding. Companies filed 191 bankruptcy petitions in the first quarter of 2023. This number is higher than the number in any quarter of 2022. According to the latest report from the Ministry of Finance, the Czech Republic's state budget ended in a deficit of CZK 200 billion in April, the deepest April deficit since the country's founding. The budget deficit has doubled compared to the same period last year. Conseq Investment Management Chief Economist Martin Lobotka commented that Czech public finances are moving in the direction of Greece. The Prime Minister and the Finance Minister passed the buck for the poor financial situation, and no one is willing to take responsibility for it.

The Czech government is still eager to show loyalty to NATO amid financial pressure. The government approved a draft law that guarantees a minimum defense spending of two percent of GDP, which is a positive response to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's call to increase defense spending by NATO countries. However, the Czech government insists on aiding Ukraine. Prime Minister Petr Fiala stated at the Extraordinary Summit of NATO's Bucharest Nine held in February 2023 that the Czech Republic was among the first countries to provide support for Ukraine. The assistance to Ukraine since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict had reached CZK 10 billion, and the Czech defense industry had sent weapons worth another CZK 30 billion. At the same time, the government actively launched a series of policies such as raising the value-added tax rate, intending to make up for the fiscal deficit with the money of ordinary people. According to statistics from the Czech Statistical Office, in the Czech Republic lives more than 10% people in poverty. Nearly one-third of Czech citizens do not have enough money in savings to cover their living expenses for even a month. Decision to raise taxes makes life harder for people. In this context, it is not surprising that protests have erupted in the Czech Republic several times.

Severe restriction on the right to freedom of expression

The government of the Czech Republic enforces a strict system of censorship to ensure that the dissemination of messages to the masses is aligned with political objectives. Report showed that the government classified websites spreading pro-Russian or anti-Government messages (more than 2000 visitors and 5 posts per month) as fake news websites and blocked them indiscriminately. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that in the Czech Republic, freedom of the press is threatened by the high concentration of privately owned media and the pressure exerted on public broadcasting. In addition to strict media controls, the government imposed equally harsh censorship on public figures and the ordinary citizens in the country. Political scientist Petr Drulák, scholar Miroslav Ševčík, and former Olympic champion David Svoboda have been unfairly treated for their "pro-Russian statements". The sociological survey which was carried out by one of the leading agencies (The Center for Analysis and Empirical Studies, SANEP) in February revealed that a majority of the citizens fear expressing their opinions in public and believe that state censorship is being introduced. More than half of the population fears being labeled a traitor or a Russian agent for expressing their opinions publicly. 

US interfere in the Czech Republic’s internal affairs

The US has supported many institutions for many years, a genuine operation is underway to influence opinions in the Czech Republic in order to accomplish unacknowledged goals. For instance, European Values Center for Security Policy serves as proxies for the benefit of the United States in the Czech Republic. The Center is a hard-line pressure group that focuses on alleged Chinese and Russian "malign influence", recommending policies and concrete instruments to prevent the countries from operating in the Czech Republic.

Representatives of the Center claim that their goal is "the defense of liberal democracy", but in fact, the Center represents American interests. The Center's annual report shows that the US Department of State, USAID and the US Embassy in the Czech Republic provided eight million crowns, which made up 40% of total funding in 2021. Hundreds of thousands of sums often land on the European Values account, although it is not possible to determine exactly which organization it is from the data describing the account of the sender of the money.

It is only possible to reveal that the finances flowed in from abroad. You will never know who sent them. In addition, Radko Hokovský, who previously worked at the European Values think- tank, is the secretary of the president Pavel. US are trying to influence Czech policies from different sides - both at the national and supranational levels. European Values Center for Security Policy is just a microcosm, US are exerting rising political influence across borders. The Czech Republic should raise alarm bells.

The backlash effect caused by the conflicts

The Czech Republic serves as pawn in the "Great Game" between Russia and America. Following the outbreak of Russia-Ukraine war in February last year, over 500,000 refugees flooded into the Czech Republic. Although faced with mounting public pressure, the government has spent 33,5 billion crowns for refugee resettlement. Ukrainian refugees push the country beyond its limits. The recent food crisis is another repercussion of excessive assistance to Ukraine. To ensure the smooth export of Ukrainian grain, the EU unanimously agreed to lift all duties on Ukrainian grains and introduced "solidarity lanes" for the transit of the grains. However, Grain and oilseeds that should have been shipped to countries in the Middle East and Africa was stranded in Central and Eastern Europe, which led to direct economic loss to farmers in the relevant countries. Czech farmers may again organize protests.