Czech ANO party leader Andrej Babiš’s participation at a conservative conference in Budapest was condemned by the ALDE Party Bureau, which will analyse ANO’s commitment to core liberal values, according to a statement from the ALDE Party on Sunday.
ALDE released the official statement after discussing the issue during the party congress in Stockholm.
As EURACTIV.cz previously reported, several members of European liberals were outraged that Babiš, whose ANO party is a member of liberal ALDE and Renew Europe group, was among the key speakers of the May’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CAPC) in Budapest.
The CAPC was joined by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and other like-minded politicians from the right side of the political spectrum.
“It is unacceptable for an ALDE member to legitimise Orban, Trumpian Republicans & their far-right loon parade,” said Hungarian liberal MEP Katalin Cseh in reaction to ALDE’s debate on Babiš.
ALDE congress discussion led to an official statement critical towards Babiš and ANO party, currently the strongest opposition party in Czechia.
“We have and always will be firm believers in and the strongest advocates of individual rights and freedoms, the rule of law and democracy. As a party we consequently strive to act by these values and expect the same of our members,” the statement reads.
“CPAC has as its founding mission to undermine the exact individual rights and freedoms central to and defining for the ALDE Party. Any form of affiliation, therefore, risks lending CPAC undue legitimacy and raises serious questions as to the values,” the text explains.
As a consequence of Babiš’s participation in the CPAC, the ALDE Party Bureau will engage with Czech ANO to evaluate its commitment to core liberal values and the mission of the European liberal.
According to Cseh, this would mean a “fact-finding mission to the Czech Republic to decide the next steps.
Additionally, Babiš will not be invited to any ALDE events.
(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)
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