THE figure still stands in the parklands atop the White Mountain, drifts of fallen leaves rippling over her base. The statue of the Hussite woman, raised under socialist Czechoslovakia, was sculpted to commemorate a revolutionary peasant movement that swept all before it and did not fail, or fall beneath the lances of Crusader knights.

It was intended to be emblematic of national independence, a society which held goods in common ownership, and of the power and potential of a nascent feminism that held lessons for the present. Yet, today, the sculpture seems to exist outside time, deprived of context. The explanatory plaque has been wrenched away, leaving an ugly gash along the pedestal and an interpretative void.

Across Prague, it is the same story. The handful of monuments that survive from socialist times (recalling the liberation of the city in 1945, cosmonaut missions, and the workers who built the metro) have all suffered a similar erasure. Robbed of their historical essence, and radical message, these stubborn reminders of socialism are cut adrift to sink, forlorn and forgotten, beneath the weight of advertising hoardings, brash corporate showrooms, and swish coffee shops.

Some topics are off limits, some futures denied. Last month’s election results, and the subsequent scurry to form a governing coalition from the Czech Republic’s right-wing parties, would seem to drive home this bleak message. Despite expectations, the left failed to recover lost ground. The Social Democrats, who enjoyed a long period as the largest political party after 1989, saw their vote evaporate, while the Communist Party (the KSCM) failed, as the other arm of the Stacilo! (Enough!) coalition to break through the electoral threshold that would have returned its deputies to parliament.

This is a particularly bitter pill as the Czech Communist Party had a strong parliamentary presence ever since its founding in 1920 and experienced considerable, and unexpected, electoral success at the start of this century. The optimism and energy of the summer’s campaign have faded and been replaced by fresh critiques of socialism as an electoral force and calls, amplified by former coalition partners within Stacilo!, for the Communist Party to seek a merger and abandon its unique political identity and praxis.

For Morning Star readers such struggles will be immediately redolent of the fracturing of the Communist Party of Great Britain in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Yet, for Petra Proksanova, a candidate in the recent elections in Prague, member of the KSCM’s central committee, and chair of the party’s commission for youth, students, and young families, cynicism and opportunism are the chief barriers to political progress.

“For me,” she says, “politics isn’t just a profession — it’s a commitment to those who need representation.

“Our campaign against Petr Fiala’s government began as early as May 2023, when we first launched the slogan “Fialo, Stacilo!” (“Fiala, that’s enough!”) This phrase captured the frustration of a public fed up with rising prices, attacks on workers’ rights, a later retirement age and warmongering. The phrase then gave rise to the name of a new political alliance for the European and regional elections, which welcomed candidates from across the patriotic, anti-government left — including the KSCM.

“The campaign wasn’t easy. We had to co-ordinate across parties, build consensus on a shared programme, and defend ourselves against relentless anti-communist attacks. Right-wing parties spread fear that our support for referendums on Nato and EU membership meant automatic alignment with Russia. They painted nightmarish images of nationalisations, barbed-wire borders, gulags and executions. The pro-EU party Volt even filed a lawsuit against us for allegedly violating election coalition laws — though we won in court, the case caused public uncertainty.

“Even opposition leaders joined in. Andrej Babis, widely expected to win, declared he’d never govern with the communists. Tomio Okamura [a far-right deputy and now the president of the Czech parliament] warned that votes for Stacilo! would be wasted because we couldn’t reach the 5 per cent threshold for parliamentary entry. We certainly made mistakes during the campaign, but these external attacks played a decisive role in our result.

“We hoped to return to parliament. That didn’t happen. But we showed that a powerful opposition exists — one that had the courage to say ‘enough’ to Fiala’s government.

“Failing to enter parliament is not a reason to retreat. It’s a call to deepen our engagement with communities, to work even more closely with people on their everyday problems, and to rebuild the public’s trust that KSCM is on their side. The truth is: our politics need serious reflection. We must present clear, realistic solutions to today’s problems — and show how we differ from populist forces like Babis’s Ano [“Yes”] party, which has increasingly attracted working-class support.

“Many voters now see the left either as disconnected from everyday struggles — or stuck in the past, lacking a vision for the future. That’s the real issue. It’s not about how many people remember socialism, but whether we can speak to young people today — to those facing precarious work, unaffordable housing, and climate anxiety. If ‘the left’ becomes associated only with the past, rather than offering hope for the future, then we’re the ones doing something wrong — not the voters.

“Overcoming the system is only possible if we do not abandon our principles. We will not stoop to making self-destructive compromises. Ours is a party, rooted in dialectical and historical materialism but open to new ideas and scientific knowledge, which has fought for the rights of those compelled to work under restored capitalism since 1989. Our core demands remain the same: decent wages and pensions, affordable housing, universal healthcare and education, fair taxation, peace, and a halt to militarism and privatisation. We’ll continue fighting for these goals and for socialism — through our representatives in local government and the European Parliament.

“We know that returning to national parliament won’t be easy — but we’re determined. We’ve already begun preparing for the next elections, and we’re strengthening our co-operation with trade unions, civic movements, and anyone who shares our vision of solidarity, justice, and peace.”

A cold westerly wind picks up, scattering the leaves around the statue’s base and bearing the first sting of winter snows on the White Mountain. Yet, the monument and the movement will endure until a fresh spring reties the cords of history. Well aware of the challenges that lie ahead and all that is at stake, Petra remains determinedly, and defiantly, optimistic and focused upon the future.

“We need to complete the update of our long-term programme, and we need to intensify our work directly among the people.

“Meanwhile,” she says, “the current regime continues to target us. A new amendment to the criminal code — due to take effect in January 2026 — will ban ‘promotion of communist movements.’ It’s a direct attack on political freedom. We’re seeing growing pressure — not just on individuals (who are being fired or ostracised for their views), but on the very existence of the Communist Party itself.

“The KSCM must respond creatively. We must defend the legacy of the workers’ and progressive movements while continuing to develop a compelling socialist vision for the rising generations. As long as exploitation exists, the Communist Party will be necessary. Let them change the law. Let them try to silence us. But truth cannot be banned — and the truth is this: the future belongs to socialism!”

John Callow is writing in a personal capacity.