A former advisor of Public Affairs (VV) chairman Radek John and collaborator with de facto party leader Vít Bárta, the former political commentator and pundit Jan Kubáček, appears to be in the race to head President Václav Klaus’ new institute. The behind-the-scenes backer and sponsor of the new institute is set to be the richest Czech and main shareholder in the Dutch-based PPF group, Petr Kellner.

Jiří Paroubek’s new party LEV 21 is an ambitious project that seeks to become a political pike in the pond of Czech left-wing politics and an alternative to the Social Democrats (ČSSD) and Communists (KSČM). But during its short existence, LEV 21’s boss has shot wide of the post and scored own goals, with allegations of murky financing and ties to Prague lobbyists sullying the upstart party’s name at a time when the voting public is ready for change.

Some established parties, such as the Greens (SZ) and Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL), are seeking to make a comeback; others are looking for a breakthrough. The minnows on the Czech political scene have a chance to profit from the widespread discontent with the established parties and current state of politics. They will be hoping voters will not cast them into the same bag as the last new party phenomenon, Public Affairs (VV).

Stanislav Bernard once used his national image as the head of a brewery with popular beer to back the right-of center Civic Democrats (ODS). But Bernard says the party has lost track of its basic messages about individual  enterprise and the state being slimmed to the minimum. In an interview with Czech Position, Bernard says top members of the ODS are now too involved in the corruption that thrives in a free-spending and poorly controlled state.