Public Affairs (political party)

{{Infobox political party

|country = the Czech Republic

|native_name = Věci veřejné

|colorcode = {{party color|Public Affairs (political party)}}

|logo = Veci_verejne_Logo.svg

|chairman = Fredegar Formen
Stanislava Moravcová
Jaroslav Škárka
Radek John
Vít Bárta
Jiří Kohout

|foundation = 22 July 2002

|dissolved = 12 November 2015

|ideology = Conservative liberalism{{Citation |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612064756/http://www.ihs.com/products/global-insight/industry-economic-report.aspx?ID=106594046|archive-date=12 June 2012|title=Election 2010: New Czech Centre-Right Government Assumes Power, Eyes Reforms |publisher=IHS Global Insight |url=http://www.ihs.com/products/global-insight/industry-economic-report.aspx?ID=106594046 |date=14 July 2010 |accessdate=13 October 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.parties-and-elections.eu/czechrepublic.html|website=Parties and Elections in Europe|first=Wolfram|last=Nordsieck|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019033701/http://www.parties-and-elections.eu/czechrepublic.html|title=Czech Republic|year=2013|archivedate=19 October 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite book|author=Frank Chibulka|chapter=The Czech Republic|editor1=Donnacha O Beachain|editor2=Vera Sheridan|editor3=Sabina Stan|title=Life in Post-Communist Eastern Europe after EU Membership|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fLleZ9EWvdMC&pg=PA36|year=2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-29981-0|page=36}}
Direct democracy{{Citation |first=Dan |last=Marek |title=The Czech Republic and the European Union |publisher=Routledge 2010 |page=45}}
Populism{{Citation |first=Věra |last=Stojarová |title=Paramilitary Structures in Eastern Europe |work=The Extreme Right in Europe: Current Trends and Perspectives |publisher=Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht |year=2011 |page=276}}{{Cite journal |title=Cleavages, Protest or Voting for Hope? The Rise of Centrist Populist Parties in the Czech Republic |first=Vlastimil |last=Havlík |author2=Voda, Petr |journal=Swiss Political Science Review |date=16 April 2018|volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=161–186 |doi=10.1111/spsr.12299 |doi-access=free }}

|position = {{nowrap|Centre{{Cite news |title=Czech president appoints new PM |work=Irish Examiner |date=28 June 2010 |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-30463359.html}} to centre-right{{Citation |first=Rene |last=Vazac |title=Czech Republic: Crisis Postponed - Navigation to Recovery |work=Financial Crisis in Eastern Europe: Road to Recovery |publisher=Gabler |year=2011 |page=158}}{{Citation |first=Elisabeth |last=Bakke |title=The Czech Party System: 20 Years after the Velvet Revolution |work=20 Years Since the Fall of the Berlin Wall: Transitions, State Break-Up and Democratic Politics in Central Europe and Germany |publisher=BWV |year=2011 |page=228}}}}

|newspaper = Věci veřejné

|colours = {{color box|{{party color|Public Affairs (political party)}}}} Light blue

|headquarters = Štefánikova 23/203,
Prague 5

}}

Public Affairs ({{langx|cs|Věci veřejné}}, VV, nicknamed véčkaři) was a political party in the Czech Republic.{{Cite news |title=Deal struck on Czech government |first=Andrew |last=Gardner |newspaper=European Voice |date=30 June 2010|archivedate=12 July 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712061630/http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2010/06/deal-struck-on-czech-government/68368.aspx|url=http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2010/06/deal-struck-on-czech-government/68368.aspx }}{{Cite news |title=Czech female MPs have reduced politics by posing as pin-ups |first=Peggy |last=Watson |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2 September 2010 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/sep/02/czech-calendar-pin-up-female-mps }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.ihsglobalinsight.com/SDA/SDADetail18952.htm |title=Election 2010: New Czech Centre-Right Government Assumes Power, Eyes Reforms |date=14 July 2010 |publisher=Global Insight |accessdate=3 December 2010}}{{dead url|date=January 2023}} Its main platform was transparency and opposition to political corruption. It had 24 seats in the 2010–2013 Chamber of Deputies. The party was led by anti-establishment investigative journalist and writer Radek John,{{Cite news |title=Public Affairs party remains a mystery to many |first=Ruth |last=Fraňková |newspaper=Radio Prague |date=31 May 2010 |url=http://www.radio.cz/en/article/128482 }} and later by Jiří Kohout.

Besides opposing corruption, the party shares the fiscally conservative views of the other centre-right parties.{{Cite news |title=Centre-right wins Czech election on austerity plan |first=Robert |last=Mueller |author2=Mlcochova, Jana |work=Reuters |date=29 May 2010 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64S0N820100529 }} It had a number of right-wing populist policies.{{Cite news |title=Tschechien: Jugend vereint gegen Linksparteien |first=Alexandra |last=Klausmann |newspaper=Wiener Zeitung |date=21 May 2010 |url=http://www.wienerzeitung.at/default.aspx?tabID=3861&alias=wzo&cob=494591 |language=de |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606122248/http://www.wienerzeitung.at/default.aspx?tabID=3861&alias=wzo&cob=494591 |archivedate=6 June 2011}} The party lacked of a coherent ideology and gained voters across the political spectrum. The party was supportive of direct democracy – the members of the party could change the course of the party by Internet referendums – and was pro-European Union.

Early years

Founded in 2001, the party focused on local politics in Prague, particularly Prague 1,{{Cite news |title=Prague politics player Public Affairs enters lower house |newspaper=Czech News Agency |date=29 May 2010 |url=http://praguemonitor.com/2010/05/31/prague-politics-player-public-affairs-enters-lower-house }}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} for most of its existence.{{Cite news |title=Czech parties hold coalition talks |newspaper=Aljazeera |date=31 May 2010 |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/05/2010531155019929513.html }} In June 2009, Radek John was recruited as its chairman, and it emerged in late 2009 as a contender in the 2010 election, polling above the 5% threshold to win seats, and occasionally above KDU-ČSL and the Green Party. John competed with Karel Schwarzenberg for the title of the country's most popular politician.{{Cite news |title=A song by Marta |newspaper=The Economist |date=20 May 2010 |url=http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=16167808 }}

In the election, VV received 10.9% of the vote, easily surpassing the 5% threshold, and won 24 seats. The party entered into a governing coalition with the country's two other centre-right parties: the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and TOP 09.

Party breakdown

In April 2011, Vít Bárta, Czech Minister of Transport, was accused of bribery by his party colleagues, deputies Jaroslav Škárka, Stanislav Huml, and Kristýna Kočí, who were subsequently expelled from the party. The incident caused serious problems in the Czech government coalition.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tyden.cz/rubriky/domaci/koci-vyzvala-bartu-k-rezignaci-huml-vystoupil-z-klubu-john-mluvi-o-provokaci_198529.html?showTab=diskutovane|title=VV vyhnaly Kočí z klubu i ze strany a vyzvaly ji: Vzdej se mandátu|date=7 April 2011|publisher=Týden|language=Czech|accessdate=8 April 2011}}

A lawsuit involving several members and deputies of the party began to be debated in court on 5 March 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ct24/domaci/166899-zlomovy-okamzik-pro-vv-zacal-soud-s-bartou-a-skarkou/|title=Zlomový okamžik pro VV: Začal soud s Bártou a Škárkou|date=5 March 2012|work=Czech Television|publisher=ČT24|language=Czech|accessdate=14 March 2012}} Vít Bárta was accused by the State Prosecution of bribery and Jaroslav Škárka of receiving a bribe.

After Nečas's government collapsed, some members of Public Affairs split to form another party, LIDEM, hoping to continue their coalition with ODS and TOP 09, with Miroslava Němcová as Prime Minister. However, President Miloš Zeman refused and instead appointed Jiří Rusnok a caretaker Prime Minister. When this cabinet failed to win a confidence vote in the Chamber, the opposition called for dissolution of the Chamber and early elections. The remaining Public Affairs deputies voted in favour, and the motion of dissolution was passed with 143 out of 200 votes.

On 3 September 2013, Bárta announced that Public Affairs would not be standing in the October 2013 legislative election, leading to a split in the party's leadership. Some party members were later elected as candidates of Dawn of Direct Democracy.{{cite web|url=http://www.novinky.cz/domaci/312250-na-protest-proti-spojenectvi-s-okamurou-rezignovala-bartovi-polovina-vedeni-vv.html|title=Na protest proti spojenectví s Okamurou rezignovala Bártovi polovina vedení VV|date=3 September 2013|publisher=novinky.cz|language=Czech|accessdate=3 September 2013}}{{cite news|first=František|last=Kuba|url=https://bruntalsky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/vit-barta-pohorel-vv-nyni-reprezentuje-jen-olga-havlova-20131031.html|title=Odborníci: Vít Bárta pohořel, VV nyní reprezentuje jen Olga Havlová|newspaper=Bruntálský a Krnovský Deník |publisher=Deník|date=31 October 2013}}

In August 2015, the party announced its dissolution, with chairman Jiří Kohout stating that the party no longer had enough money to operate.{{cite web|url=https://www.novinky.cz/domaci/377459-veci-verejne-konci-premeni-se-na-spolek.html|title=Věci veřejné končí, přemění se na spolek|date=12 August 2015|publisher=novinky.cz|language=Czech|accessdate=12 August 2015}}