by Stuart Greer
He may be a mumbling 75-year-old who smokes a pipe and wears bowties but, as his campaign slogan proclaims, ‘Karel is Not Dead!’
He most certainly is not. And just to make sure voters know he’s young at heart, Karel Schwarzenberg is seen on election posters with a pink Mohawk haircut inspired by the legendary punk band the Sex Pistols.
“We were criticized that our candidate was old and tired,” says Anna Matuskova, Schwarzenberg’s chief strategist. So the campaign enlisted the help of a local avant-guard artist to spice things up. “He is an old-school gentleman but it shows he is capable of making fun of himself.”
That self-depreciating sense of humour has also made Schwarzenberg an unlikely counter-culture icon for young voters in the Czech Presidential election.
“I don’t think Mr Schwarzenberg has much to do with the punk scene or with someone who lives in underground clubs and thinks subversively,” says Martin Kocas, a Czech filmmaker who is shooting a documentary on the election.
“But it resonates perfectly with the younger generation.”
Schwarzenberg is the Czech Republic’s current Foreign Minister and member of the governing centre-right coalition. And thanks to a clever and daring campaigning, he has defied expectations and made it into this weekend’s Presidential run-off vote. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter turned out to play a decisive role in mobilizing the youth vote.
“It seemed quite unlikely that he would even get into the second round,” says Daniel Truxa, a manager at the smoke filled Mlijn Café in Prague where Schwarzenberg often mingles with the young political hipster crowd. “But in the last week before the election everything changed. It was incredible.”
The 5-year post of president is largely ceremonial – much like our Governor General in Canada. But Czech presidents are generally more outspoken and tend to give some moral direction to the country. They are not shy about offering unsolicited political advice – much to the annoyance of governing Prime Ministers. Outgoing President Vaclav Klaus was famous for his angry rants against the European Union and his disbelief in climate change.
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This is the first time Czechs will be voting for their head of state. Until this historic election, the President had been appointed by Parliament. Not only is it a sign that this young democracy is maturing, the election has also galvanized the country. Not since the 1989 Velvet Revolution that peacefully swept away Communism have Czechs been so passionate about politics – especially the country’s youth born after the fall of the totalitarian regime. They are desperate for a leader who can make a symbolic break with a political class that – for 2 decades – has been tainted by countless corruption scandals. Like all former Soviet-bloc countries in east and central Europe, the Czech Republic has suffered many growing pains. The deep-seeded culture of political kickbacks is seen as a drag on the economy and it has eroded public trust.
Despite his age and conservative platform, Mr Schwarzenberg seems to embody the spirit of integrity and youthful idealism. And ironically it is partly due to the fact that he is a wealthy prince.
“He is seen as someone who is not prone to corruption simply because he is already wealthy from inheriting huge estates from his family,” says Jiri Pehe, a political scientist at New York University in Prague. “This appeals to the young generation because they are looking for someone who is not likely to support corruption.”
Born in Prague, Prince Karel of Schwarzenberg also holds the title of the Duke of Krumlov. He is one of the richest men in the Czech Republic. His family fled to Austria after the Communists took over in 1948 and Schwarzenberg became an outspoken critic of human rights violations in his homeland.
When he returned after the revolution he worked closely with Vaclav Havel – the celebrated dissident playwright who became the Czech Republic’s first democratically elected leader. Cynical and recession weary voters seem to be pining for the optimism of that era. In those heady days, Havel – a devoted rock music fan –was visited by a host of artists. Schwarzenberg was part of Havel’s circle that welcomed the Rolling Stones and Frank Zappa. Those photos are now part of his campaign ads – along with the pink punk Mohawk of course. He has also been a sharp critic of Russia for imprisoning members of the band Pussy Riot for speaking-out against Vladimir Putin. But for that, he was criticized at home for endangering Czech exports to Russian.
“In many ways Mr Schwarzenberg projects values that are broader than normal Czech values, they are European,” says Pehe. “He doesn’t represent the narrow Czech nationalism.”
But tapping into Havel’s spirit of counter-culture may not be enough to win the Presidency. Schwarzenberg trails Socialist leader Milos Zeman in the polls. Zeman is a former populist Prime Minister who enjoys much support in the rural regions and amongst unions. Zeman, who is not rich, connects best with working class voters.
And to counter his opponent, Zeman appears in TV ads with his attractive 19 year daughter Katerina.
“A lot of young people are voting for a presidential candidate but they don’t really know why,” she says, suggesting young voters are just jumping on a bandwagon.
Zeman has also played the ‘nationalist card’ and attacked Schwarzenberg for having spent much of his life outside the country. And there is much public anger against unpopular austerity cuts introduced by the government Schwarzenberg is a part of.
Back at Mlijn Café, however, Daniel Truxa says pollsters have again underestimated Mr Schwarenberg’s support. He thinks they haven’t paid enough attention to the youth vote and the impact of social media sites. If Czechs do chose Schwarzenberg as President, Truxa believes it will send a positive message to country’s neighbours.
“That we are much more open,” he says. “That we want to improve our reputation in Europe and the world.”
Stuart is Global National’s foreign editor, based in Prague. Follow him on Twitter: @globalgreer. He will have results of the Czech Presidential Election on Global National this Saturday.
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