A controversial Czech civil servant who almost sparked the fall of the fragile center-right coalition government over his outspoken remarks and far-right affiliations, has announced he is quitting the government post found for him.
Ladislav Bátora announced Friday that he will leave the post of deputy chancellor at the minister of education’s personal office. “Those who have wished and called day and night for me to leave for around the past three-quarters of a year can begin to celebrate. I wish them a good and loud enjoyment,” Bátora announced in a news conference, apologizing, however, to his supporters.
Bátora was at the center of a government crisis in mid-August when the ultra-right adviser to Education Minister Josef Dobeš (Public Affairs, VV) posted offensive comments about TOP 09 party leader and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg on his Facebook page. One of the comments described 73-year-old Schwarzenberg as “a sorry little old man.” Bátora also attacked the US Embassy in Prague’s backing for the first Gay Parade event in Prague during the summer. ‘Those who have wished and called day and night for me to leave for around the past three-quarters of a year can begin to celebrate.’
TOP 09 ministers boycotted a Cabinet meeting and warned that the government could collapse unless a solution to the Bátora problem was found. He had previously fought elections for the extremist National Party (NS) and taken part in lectures organized by the ultra-nationalist Patriotic Front. Eventually another slot in the Education Ministry was found for Bátora after two weeks of high tension.
Bátora, currently active in the eurosceptic grouping D.O.S.T. (“Trust, Objectivity, Freedom and Tradition”), whose acronym translates as “enough” in English, said that he could no longer keep his word to Education Minister Dobeš and refrain from intervening in public life.
He also hinted that he might take part in attempts to form a new political party based on D.O.S.T, the Suverenita Party of former TV presenter Euro MP and Czech presidential candidate Jana Bobošíková and enjoying the backing of Czech President Vacláv Klaus, whose current term expires in March 2013.
At Friday’s news conference, the controversial civil servant thanked Klaus, who shares many of Bátora’s views, and Dobeš for sticking by him during a difficult period.
