Prague – In the inaugural speech of the new president, Petr Pavel, Politologists were impressed by the appeal to learn from failure, not to think too much and to try things again. Both Stanislav Balík and Ladislav Mrklas also appreciated in their comments for ČTK that Pavel, unlike his predecessor Miloš Zeman, did not take care of his accounts. Balík described the speech as an interesting mix of topics and pointed out that Pavel did not mention national politics too much. According to Mrklas, it's all right, because the president should only comment on national politics in a general and moderate way.
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Photo gallery: President-elect Petr Pavel and his inauguration
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“It was a completely different speech than we have heard from Miloš Zeman for ten years,” noted Balík, who is the dean of the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University and a researcher at the SYRI National Institute. He noticed that Pavel was talking about society rather than politics. “The speech didn't surprise me at all. Basically, it was in the same spirit as the pre-election campaign and then the weeks leading up to the inauguration. There was an emphasis on trying to unite and restore some dignity to politics and the office of the president,” he evaluated the speech Mrklas from the CEVRO Institute.
“The idea that success is not the only important point at the end is interesting, but the effort to keep trying,” said Mrklas, adding that this theme ran like a red thread throughout the speech. The package agreed. “Despite some of the mandatory things that have to be said, Petr Pavel put an interesting emphasis on the repeated effort to learn from failure, get up and move on, try again, don't think too much. That probably appealed to me the most,” he said.
Balík called Pavlov's mention of the fact that “truth has won again” the only allusion to the form of the presidential campaign of his opponent, i.e. the head of the ANO opposition movement and former prime minister Andrej Babiš. and not to elaborate on it in any detail, not to settle accounts. Let's remember what Miloš Zeman's second inaugural speech looked like, which was completely different in genre, reproachful,” he reminded.
Also, according to Mrklas, it is a very correct – and the only possible – approach that Pavel “didn't insult anyone in his speech, even though many people deserved it”. The political scientist recalled that for Zeman, outbursts against his opponents and enemies – whether real or imagined – were common.
Both political scientists agreed that Pavlo's announced plan of specific goals for the first hundred days in office is not entirely usual for a president in a parliamentary regime. Mrklas said that similar plans belong more to the government, i.e. regions or maybe mayors. Balík generally mentioned that the presidency should be less active. But he only wants to evaluate specific steps that Pavel will take. “He will be active, and for us it will certainly be a big difference compared to what we experienced with Miloš Zeman, especially in the last five years. The fact that he will meet with people, perhaps even with representatives of the opposition, we have gotten a little used to, but the presidential it suits the office. And if the activity means this, then of course no one can have any problem with it,” he noted.
Mrklas sees in the publication of the plan Pavlo's effort for a high degree of transparency and also an invitation for journalists to they reported on his presidential actions. “The question is whether it will be like this all the time, or only for the first hundred days, but we will see,” he concluded.
When Zeman took up the presidency ten years ago, political scientists pondered in his inaugural speech, he did not touch on a number of important areas, such as foreign policy. They also resented his criticism of the media. They also called it unfortunate that he mentioned the problematic opposition agreement at the beginning of his speech.
