Daily Audio EN

1. English Translation

Ondřej Kundra: Plzeň Senator Aschenbrenner Could Not Accept His End

The outgoing and unsuccessful candidate in the elections, Plzeň senator Lumír Aschenbrenner, could be remembered by voters as a politician who always performed his role in the Senate with dignity, stood for freedom, and fought against populism. He had already proven this in the past in Plzeň, where he opposed cooperation with ANO. Therefore, it was even more surprising when Aschenbrenner appeared in this city on a pre-election billboard with the advancing ANO politician Lucie Kantorová.

"Plzeň should be represented in the Senate by someone who lives in Plzeň!" it says, referring to another opponent, former Chief of the General Staff Karel Řehka, who only recently partially moved to the West Bohemian capital to try his entry into politics there. In the first round, he succeeded quite well, winning over Kantorová and Aschenbrenner. The key decision will come this weekend, and the outgoing ODS senator has actively involved himself in it.

Accepting defeat with dignity is not easy. Aschenbrenner may feel wronged that another democrat, Řehka, has overtaken him, but that is how political competition works. At a time when the Czech Republic faces significant security risks that ANO consistently denies, it would make sense to support someone who has dealt with security issues for decades and has experience and contacts in this field.

The opposite means that Aschenbrenner preferred personal emotions over populism. What is even more incomprehensible is that he cannot admit this fairly. Although he agreed to appear with his photo alongside Kantorová, in public he says phrases like he did not support anyone, that it is up to the voters, and excuses himself by saying he could not forbid the billboard. Everyone chooses their own political end; Lumír Aschenbrenner has chosen the mark of a politician who contradicts everything he previously stood for.

2. Summary

Lumír Aschenbrenner, an outgoing senator from Plzeň, was known for his dignified role in the Senate and his opposition to populism and cooperation with the ANO party. However, he surprised many by appearing on a pre-election billboard with an ANO politician, Lucie Kantorová. Another candidate, Karel Řehka, who recently moved to Plzeň, won the first round of the election. Aschenbrenner seems unable to accept his defeat gracefully and shows contradictions in his public statements. The article suggests that in times of serious security risks, it would be logical to support experienced candidates rather than personal emotions.

3. Reading Comprehension Exercise

1. How was Lumír Aschenbrenner viewed by voters before the recent election?
2. What surprised people about Aschenbrenner’s pre-election billboard?
3. Who is Karel Řehka and what is his connection to Plzeň?
4. Why does the article say Aschenbrenner’s behavior is contradictory?
5. What does the article suggest about political decisions during times of security risks?

4. Key Vocabulary (English → Czech)

- senator – **senátor**
- election – **volby**
- politician – **politik**
- dignity – **důstojnost**
- populism – **populismus**
- cooperation – **spolupráce**
- billboard – **billboard**
- opponent – **protikandidát**
- security – **bezpečnost**
- experience – **zkušenost**
- defeat – **prohra**
- emotions – **emoce**

1. English Translation

Petr Bittner: The New Soundtrack of the Old Christian Democrats

The Christian Democrats announce a change. After the municipal and senate elections, it seems that in cooperation with the Mayors, they have found a way to sell this change to a sufficient number of voters. The commentator world, looking at the (not only) personnel confusion of the democratic opposition, has been so hypnotized by the marketing itself that the question of whether this will be a change for the better has somehow been overlooked. With your permission, I will focus on South Moravia, where everything is always the most interesting – and of course, this has nothing to do with the fact that I live here.

"People want change," shouted Jakub Hruška in Brno immediately after the votes were counted. He is a representative of the party that co-governed the last three election periods and would like to invite old friends from ODS to the fourth. So, the handover of the mayoral chain at the city hall will probably be more of a ritual – without wanting to diminish the obvious increase of progressive forces. The Christian Democrats have simply learned networks, so they know that even an unchanging profile needs to change its profile picture from time to time.

A somewhat more significant change concerns, for example, the senate duel between Zdeněk Papoušek and Karel Zitterbart, who will face each other in the second round. To the question from the organization We Are Fair, whether he supports gay and lesbian marriage with all rights including joint adoption of children, Papoušek answered: "I do not have a clear opinion."

Well, I don't know, but I think many of Papoušek's voters do have a clear opinion. And before the second round, they should know that by choosing a popular and unorthodox figure, they may be voting against their own beliefs. And maybe I should not be the one to point this out, but the long line of liberal subjects and personalities who express unwavering support for him – yet here we are.

Papoušek has a reputation as a "decent person." But "decent people" here in Brno have also been called real Nazis. Historian Jan Tesař once wrote that this "decency" is, among other things, an "effective tool for promoting indecent ideas." Such a decent person may hesitate whether to grant you the same rights as himself. For a person affected by this wavering about whether to remain a second-class citizen, decency probably looks different.

It may be even more interesting for fans of the new attractive face of the opposition from the Christian Democrats, Jan Grolich. The young, fresh, agile, likable, funny, singing governor answered "no" in the same survey for certainty. Meanwhile, the viral dance, which has painfully flooded all the screens I had to stare at because of my profession in recent weeks, was usually performed by Christian Democrats exclusively with same-sex partners and without visible civilization consequences.

It would be unpleasant to find out that the change the new Christian Democrats are supposed to bring means a change for the worse in human rights. Today, we especially need strong liberal voices in the Senate as a counterbalance to conservative and ultra-conservative currents in the Chamber and government. We have already seen that the Senate can do this a few times in the past. In June, for example, Adéla Šípová and other senators helped reject the tightening of conditions for gender change. She will also defend her mandate in the second round. LGBT people and their true allies in Czech society count votes, not reach.

Petr Bittner is a publicist and media advisor.

2. Summary

The article discusses the recent changes announced by the Christian Democrats in the Czech Republic, especially after municipal and senate elections. Cooperation with the Mayors seems to have helped them attract more voters, but the author questions whether this change is truly positive. The article focuses on South Moravia, highlighting the upcoming senate duel between Zdeněk Papoušek and Karel Zitterbart, particularly on their views about gay and lesbian marriage. Papoušek's unclear stance contrasts with the clear opinions of many voters. The author warns that the change might lead to a decline in human rights, emphasizing the need for strong liberal voices in the Senate to balance conservative forces. The article ends by noting the importance of voting and supporting genuine allies of the LGBT community.

3. Reading Comprehension Exercise

1. What political change is the article mainly discussing?
2. Who is Jakub Hruška, and what did he say after the elections?
3. What is Zdeněk Papoušek’s position on gay and lesbian marriage?
4. Why does the author mention historian Jan Tesař’s view on "decency"?
5. What role does the author believe the Senate should play regarding human rights?

4. Key Vocabulary (English → Czech)

- change – **změna**
- voter – **volič**
- cooperation – **spojení**
- mayor – **primátor**
- election – **volby**
- opinion – **názor**
- human rights – **lidská práva**
- liberal – **liberální**
- conservative – **konzervativní**
- mandate – **mandát**
- alliance – **spojenci**
- society – **společnost**

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