European elections expose Czech and Slovak weakness
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Significance
The political impact of the European Parliament (EP) election is yet to be felt in most of Central Europe (CE), but in Poland, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has responded to his party’s better-than-expected result with a cabinet reshuffle. Well-entrenched governments in Poland and Hungary have reaffirmed their domestic dominance, but in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the results revealed political and fiscal weaknesses.
Impacts
- Right-wing governments in Hungary and Poland will look to build on the political momentum gained domestically from the EP elections.
- The Czech Republic may experience more political and fiscal instability in the near term.
- Tensions with the Commission are unlikely to abate soon, despite CE’s greater economic and political integration with the rest of the EU.