Public Affairs (political party)

Veci veřejné (abbreviated VV, German about public affairs ) is a political party in the Czech Republic.

History

The party enters programmatically for the strengthening of direct democracy. Thus, members and sympathizers may influence the political will of the party in Internet referenda directly. The party was formed in 2001 as a regional party in Prague's District 1 and was able to get there in 2002, a first municipal mandate. In the 2006 local elections, they had already reached in this district 22 % of the vote and won mandates in other communities, but had initially beyond the local level, not a single mandate. In the European elections in the Czech Republic in 2009 veci veřejné reached 2.4% of the vote.

In the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic 2010, the party won 10.9 % of the vote and 24 seats in the House of Representatives.

Chairman of the party was from 2009 to 2013, the Czech cultural workers, journalist and presenter Radek John, who until April 2011, Czech Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister was from July 2010 and then briefly exercised the office of the Vice Prime Minister for corruption. On February 16, 2013 John was replaced in party presidency by former Transport Minister Vít Barta, who was already considered to date as a " secret " Chairman. Barta sat down at the party with 80 of 98 votes to four opposition candidates through. John, who announced himself retire from politics, took the post of honorary chairman.

In addition to John placed the party in the July 2010 ruling government Necas first the Minister Vít Barta (Transport), Kamil Jankovský (regional development ) and Josef Dobeš ( Education, Youth and Sports ). According to a government crisis Barta and John were forced to resign from their ministerial posts in April 2011, it took over Karolina Peake the office of vice prime ministers for corruption. The crisis was triggered the entanglements of VV with the security agency ABL, whose chief Barta was earlier. In addition, allegations against Barta were raised because of the corruption of three members of the party at this time. The three deputies, including the reigning faction leader in the House Kristyna Kočí were excluded from the group. The condemnation Bartas in April 2012 led to an even greater crisis in the party, which resulted in the breakup of the parliamentary party and the terminate of the coalition agreement. While the VV itself since a " constructive opposition " was formed, the government majority was secured by the beaten former members to the Vice Prime Minister Karolina Peake. Peake shortly thereafter founded the party LIDEM - liberální demokraté, which joined the beaten from the VV ministers and MPs.

The party supported by the resignation of Petr Necas in June 2013 the formation of the government of the non-party, the President Miloš Zeman related Jiří Rusnok who has not obtained the confidence of the House of Representatives. When supported by the VV early parliamentary elections of 2013, the VV did not occur to themselves and supported the party Úsvit Prime demokracie (Twilight of direct democracy ) of the entrepreneur and Tomio Okamura Senators.