Alena Vitásková

Elections, The Leopard, and a Political Farce

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**Jsou volby ještě skutečným nástrojem občanů, nebo jen politickou taškařicí s předem očekávaným výsledkem?** Alena Vitásková se vrací k příběhu sicilských voleb ze seriálu *Gepard* a nachází v něm znepokojivou paralelu se současností. Od prezidentovy demonstrativní cesty k volební urně přes pochybnosti o smyslu hlasování až po zásadní geopolitické změny klade otázku: Zatímco se občané přou o volební výsledky, nepřevlékají už ti mocní potichu kabáty?

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The Senate Should Not Be a Sinecure

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With the autumn elections approaching, the question once again arises as to what purpose the Czech Senate actually serves and how strong a mandate its members truly have. Alena Vitásková explains why she ultimately declined the opportunity to stand for election, why she considers low voter turnout a fundamental problem for the upper chamber, and why public office should not become a well-paid political sinecure. In this candid interview, she also speaks about the age of politicians, a possible presidential candidacy, local elections, and the candidate she herself intends to support in the Ostrava-City Senate constituency.

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"Prague Cafe" or "Literary Salon"

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Czech society is often divided according to political or cultural labels. Alena Vitásková opposes the term "Prague cafe" to her own image of a "Literary salon" - a community of people who look for support in books, cultural heritage, their own experience and the ability to form an independent opinion. According to her, literature is not only a testimony of its time, but also a means of preserving values ​​and passing them on to future generations.

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Bogeymen and the Minister

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Foreign Minister Petr Macinka’s interview with an anonymous masked figure has raised questions about the judgement and responsibility of the man in charge of Czech diplomacy. On the very same day, the minister summoned the Russian ambassador over a drone incident at Leipzig Airport and described the German findings as serious and convincing. Alena Vitásková asks whether, at a time of mounting international tension, Czech foreign policy should devote more attention to verifying facts and less to media “bogeymen”.

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AI: Hope—or Our Gravedigger?

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Artificial intelligence fascinates us with its speed, the breadth of its knowledge, and its ability to enter domains that we have long considered exclusively human. Alena Vitásková describes her own encounter with AI, which was able to capture the message of her book Kulak: We Are All Guilty with astonishing accuracy—even though she had never shared her reflections with it. Is this ability the promise of a powerful assistant, or a warning of a world in which human beings gradually lose not only their knowledge, but also their confidence in their own thinking?

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The Constitutional Court intervened with lightning speed

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The dispute over the participation of President Petr Pavel at the NATO meeting did not end with a political agreement, but with a preliminary measure of the Constitutional Court. Alena Vitásková asks why, at a time of wartime tension, a competence battle for prestige is being waged in the Czech Republic, instead of talking about peace, diplomacy and the future of children whose holidays have just started.

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Public media on strike? And what about the people on the street?

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The public media strike caused an uproar, especially where public media are watched, commented on and defended. But what if a significant part of the citizens did not notice her at all? Alena Vitásková asks why taxpayers should continue to finance institutions whose programs they do not care about, and whether it is not time to let public media pass a real test of the interest of viewers, listeners and the market.

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Prague Castle versus Strakovka?

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While Prague Castle and the Straka Academy argue over competences, wording and protocol details, the real danger remains outside of political attention. Alena Vitásková draws attention to the availability of synthetic drugs in vending machines near schools and asks why the state cannot protect children from substances that can cause addiction, severe intoxication and death. Instead of the frog wars of the powerful, according to her, the time has come to devote political energy to the most important thing: saving the young generation and the future of the nation.

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Unjust justice? Or "Czech justice and its controversial cases"

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The seminar on Czech justice filled the Chamber of Deputies to the last seat. In her commentary, Alena Vitásková compares this year's debate with the seminar from 2020, recalls the cases of Robert Temple, Petr Kramný and other convicts, and asks a fundamental question: when will legislators take responsibility for the state of justice, the restoration of trust in the rule of law and fair compensation for people harmed by the state?

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