Representatives of two non-parliamentary groups – Social Democracy and Přísahy – met in front of the building of the Energy Regulatory Office this morning. They brought comments that could be submitted until today, before the authority concludes the final amount of the regulated energy component and presents its final form.
However, according to the presidents of both entities, Michal Šmarda (SOCDEM) and Robert Šlachta (Přísaha), this does not mean that the parties are coming together politically.
“We wanted to sell the topic of energy better in this way. Because honestly, if we just sent you a press release about energy, we wouldn’t be talking to each other right now,” Social Democrats chairman Šmarda told the editor of Seznam Zpráv.
Schlachta said that they filed the comments together to make their voice stronger. “That’s how we met, it’s not like we’re thinking about any cooperation until the upcoming elections. It’s just this one specific thing,” said Šlachta.
A few years ago, however, the former elite policeman Šlachta could not come to the name of the Social Democrats, due to the reorganization of the police, which was carried out seven years ago by the then Social Democratic Minister of the Interior, Milan Chovanec. It was then that he announced the merger of the Organized Crime Detection Unit, the so-called anti-mafia unit, which was commanded by Šlachta, with the anti-corruption unit. Schlachta then resigned from the post and left the police force after 26 years.
Clear information about electricity prices
What does the increase in the regulated component of energy prices, which has been talked about recently, actually mean? We explain by how much and why the individual components will increase year-on-year in 2024.
He and Šmarda, whom he addressed familiarly in front of the cameras as “Michael”, told the whole story during energy meetings.
“The behavior of the then Minister Chovanc and the then ČSSD is still very much alive in me. But as Michal Šmarda and I talked, he explained to me how social democracy works. The fact that we were standing there today was also because we were talking about the past,” Šlachta admitted.
Szlachta: We are more vigorous on the subject of migration
Michal Šmarda added that energy is a topic on which even people who have different opinions should learn to cooperate. “Government and opposition politicians got away with it. Only Přísaha and SOCDEM were preparing their submissions, so we spoke on the topic together. People are really at risk of paying thousands of kroner more for energy starting next year,” said the head of the Social Democrats and again denied that any cooperation was planned between the two entities in the upcoming European or regional elections.
However, according to Šlachta, access to energy is not the only point of intersection between his movement and the Social Democrats. They also took notes on the subject of food prices and VAT reduction. “We also talked about migration, but there our movement is more vigorous,” he added.
According to him, the oath is already completing the preparation of the candidate for the European elections and will soon introduce its leader. This will be South Bohemian chairwoman Nikola Bartůšek, whom the movement profiles as an expert on migration.
