Czech politicians and TikTok: Where political strategy meets French fry costumes

In an age when public officials are as likely to post memes as policies, Czech politicians are attempting to conquer social media with varying degrees of enthusiasm and success.

Whether it's Prime Minister Petr Fiala awkwardly explaining his TikTok debut or former Finance Minister Alena Schillerová sporting a French-fries costume, these efforts speak to the challenges of engaging an online audience without losing credibility.

Fiala shocked the public by dropping a TikTok video in October. Known for his reserved academic demeanor, many questioned presence on a platform best suited to viral dance crazes, dangerous challenges, and pranks.

“There are at least 2 million Czechs on TikTok today. Our goal is not to make Fiala an influencer but to communicate the policies that the prime minister pursues in a light and understandable way. To bring his work program, opinions, and worldview closer to the younger generation," said the PM's spokesman Václav Smolka.

Critics, however, argue Fiala's attempts to hype the government’s achievements via the platform feels forced. As journalist Miloš Čermák writes, watching Fiala explain his TikTok foray feels “unbearably awkward.” For a leader who earned respect for his composed leadership during crises—like his 2022 Kyiv visit—TikTok seems more like a fall into the pit of questionable PR tactics than a bold leap forward, Čermák remarked.

Meanwhile, ANO party MP Alena Schillerová has gone native, leaning into the platform’s wacky ways, with a recent critique of government labor policies delivered to her followers in a French fries costume. The skit, mixing absurdist humor with policy criticism, wracked up thousands of likes—as did her Cabaret number welcoming Fiala to the platform in a Sally Bowles-style feather boa.

ANO party boss and former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is also active on TikTok, and has posted videos of weight lifting sessions, eating Nutella from a jar, sporting t-shirts with catchy slogans (Keep Calm, I'm a Boss), and doing Men in Black bits.

Čermák notes that despite his strategic intentions, Fiala has some catching up to do with his political rivals. His early TikTok performances have drawn a modest following of about 2,000 users—a number that is now nearing 4,000—in stark contrast to Babiš' 172,00-plus followers. Czechia leaders' share of followers, however, pales in comparison to other countries around the bloc.

While Schillerová’s and Babiš’ antics have garnered them a respectable following among Gen Z voters, could dressing like a snack food trivialize complex issues and alienate serious-minded voters?

The struggle to balance accessibility and gravitas isn’t limited to TikTok. But as platforms like Instagram and Facebook tighten rules around political content, potentially limiting politicians’ reach, TikTok seems like the logical next step. 

However, critics warn of its pitfalls—the platform’s inherent silliness and data privacy concerns. How and whether government politicians should post on the Chinese social network has long been a security issue.

The Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NÚKIB) has repeatedly warned against the company because there are suspicions that it is connected to Chinese security forces, fearing that Beijing could use the platform to spy on key European officials, for example.

Fiala spokesperson Smolka said of the PM's debut on TikTok: "Of course, we had to ensure security first and foremost...we have the application on a phone designated only for [this purpose], thanks to which we avoid the possible misuse of sensitive data.”

Fiala’s TikTok may never go viral, and Schillerová’s fries costume might not influence political debates, but their efforts highlight a larger shift in how politicians are using digital platforms. Whether they will successfully engage voters or provide material for memes is still to be seen.

One of Fiala’s most notable attempts to engage in the digital space went viral for all the wrong reasons: his now-infamous video comparing food prices in the Czech Republic and Germany.

After facing ridicule and criticism for the post, he admitted that trying to communicate in ways that weren’t authentic to him might not have been the best approach. His TikTok career will be interesting to follow as he navigates the complexities of digital communication in politics.

In a new meme, satirist TMBK offers some advice for socially-struggling Fiala: a butter outfit TikTok response to Schillerová's French fries, subtly shading her colleague Babiš over the high butter prices the prime minister blames on Agrofert.