Radek Vondráček, Vice-Chair of the ANO 2011 movement, considers the main priority of the new government to be restoring hope for Czechia and a dignified life for its citizens. “Both were trampled and quite literally disgraced by the previous arrogant administration. We want to be a government that returns Czechia to the forefront, thinks about people’s everyday lives, and does not deprive them of freedom and justice. Our ambition is to restore real substance to democracy,” he says.
After winning the elections, did ANO approach other parties besides those with whom you eventually formed a coalition?
Opposition parties essentially ruled out any cooperation, even at a personal level, and any debate about electoral programs and priorities stood no chance. Do you remember the call that said it did not matter what the issues were, as long as one stood on the “right side”? That was their side. To this day, I have not learned what that was supposed to mean. The only clear thing was their desire to cling to power, which they had grown fond of.
How do you view the situation and controversies surrounding the Motorists?
At the root of everything was the decision by certain individuals at Prague Castle not to resist the temptation of greater political power and to exert their influence more extensively than any previous president. Midnight correspondence does not look good in daylight either. However, compared to the attempted anti-presidential coup by a group of senators led by their chairman Miloš Vystrčil, who genuinely sought to remove Miloš Zeman while he was seriously ill, this is merely a summer shower. I remind you that it was my personal visit to the hospital that helped stop that strangely unfolding process. What we are seeing now are just a few heated private text messages within the normal course of political life. Everything else consists of subsequent individual or collective theatrical performances that lack real substance. Unfortunately, that increasingly defines politics today.
Yet these events mobilized the civic organization Million Moments for Democracy, which held a demonstration in Prague’s Old Town Square in support of president Petr Pavel…
Million Moments for Democracy has clearly revealed itself over time as the activist wing of the current opposition, so there is little more to add. In the era of social media and high citizen mobility, we are witnessing the almost unbearable ease with which demonstrations can be organized. We now have professional organizers of demonstrations who make a living from it, intoxicated by crowds, and whose existence depends on social polarization. I believe the vast majority in Czechia remain convinced that such activities should take place without aggression or violence. It is the task of all politicians to calm the situation.
Social media exert enormous influence. Can citizens even navigate the flood of conflicting messages?
Social media were meant to connect us, but they divide us. “Likes” were supposed to be something positive, yet the race for them brings tragedy. Humanity is only beginning to learn how to live in an age of information overload. It will take time, and matters may even escalate. Social media enable swift condemnation of others, and that is the warning. We are losing the ability to understand the motives of others, replaced by black-and-white thinking. Such a mindset destroys democracy.
You chair the Foreign Affairs Committee. What is being prepared in foreign policy?
We are striving to fulfill the government’s program – a return to rationality, meaning common sense and balance. We should replace the pursuit of ideological points with normal, everyday work in the interest of the Czech Republic. In a fractured world full of contradictions, that means the ability to orient ourselves realistically, flexibly form new alliances, and strengthen proven ones. The relationship with the United States or Israel is a case in point.
You joined the Czech–Chile friendship group and received a beautiful poncho from a delegation of the Chilean Congress. How beneficial was that visit?
I hope we can support trade and cultural cooperation as much as possible at the parliamentary level. Of course, the powers of the Chamber of Deputies are limited, but as a communication channel we have functioned well in the past. Not everything can be handled by ministers or the prime minister. It is important that relations between Czechia and other countries are supported at multiple levels. For successful economic diplomacy, that is crucial.
Will cooperation with the Slovak government intensify further?
The four years of the previous government were marked by damage to relations with Slovakia. I must thank our Slovak friends for their great patience and, above all, for not giving up on our friendship. From the very first moment, our government restarted the special relationship with Slovakia and will continue to develop it – not only at the governmental level, but also at the parliamentary level. Together, we will seek solutions in the current complex geopolitical situation and deepen cooperation in everyday areas, from culture to security. I know that Czech–Slovak friendship is something precious.
CV BOX
Radek Vondráček (born December 30, 1973, in Kroměříž) is vice-chair of the ANO 2011 movement, a Member of Parliament, First Vice-Chair of the Chamber of Deputies, Vice-Chair of the Constitutional and Legal Committee, and Vice-Chair of the ANO 2011 parliamentary caucus.
He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Masaryk University in Brno. He entered politics in 2013 and became an MP following successful parliamentary elections. He has defended his mandate in all subsequent elections. From 2017 to 2021, he served as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. In February 2019, he became Vice-Chair of the ANO movement.
He is a member of the City Council of Kroměříž and, in 2024, was elected from the last position on the candidate list to become a member of the Regional Council in Zlín.
A proud Moravian patriot, he continues to live in Kroměříž, where his family has deep roots – on his mother’s side, he represents the fifth local generation.
He is an avid film enthusiast and lifelong reader of science fiction and fantasy literature. He loves animals, folklore, sports, and motorcycling. When time permits, he actively engages in beekeeping and music.
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