Czech elections: Local report of suspected vote-buying, allegedly to cast ballots for the governing ANO movement

As in the past, this year’s elections to the Czech Chamber of Deputies involve suspected vote-buying. One such attempt has been made at a residential hotel in the town of Slaný. 

The director of the Romodrom organization, Nikola Taragoš, has informed news server Romea.cz of the attempt. “Last week, on Friday, two people came to the residential hotel, a Romani man and a majority-society man. They offered a thousannd Czech crowns [EUR 40] for each vote, and they offered the administrator of the residential hotel CZK 50 000 [EUR 1 965] if he would persuade the tenants to all cast their ballots for the ANO movement,” he said; Romodrom performs social work in the facility, which is municipally-owned, and also administers it. 

“We reported this all to the police,” the director said. News server Romea.cz has seen a document confirming that a police report was filed.

“This is just like in the past, the same scenario, they are betting on Romani people casting their ballots for them in exchange for money. If they want Romani votes, then why don’t they do something for the Roma in their programs?” the Romodrom director added indignantly.

Suspicions of vote-buying in Slaný previously arose in 2018. Last year, during the elections to regional assemblies, such suspicions arose throughout northern Bohemia. 

Those suspicions also involved excluded localities that have been marginalized traditionally, such as the Janov housing estate in Litvínov or the Krásné Březno and Neštěmice neighborhoods of Ústí nad Labem. The amount offered last year was reportedly CZK 1 000 per vote as well.