Czech elections this October: Romani candidates and voting from abroad

News server Romea.cz is currently aware of three Romani candidates on the lists of democratic parties. This year voters will be able to take advantage of two new features – the possibility of postal voting for voters living abroad, and the use of electronic identification on their mobile phones at polling stations.

The Interior Ministry is assuring the public that this year’s elections will be resistant to manipulation, safe, and transparent. According to the available data, the movements and parties have already spent between a third to approximately half of their planned budgets.

The campaigns are dominated by in-person contact – meetings with voters, including regional trips – and communication on social networks. Some parties have already published detailed programs, including the Mayors and Independents (STAN) and the Pirates.

Others, such as the governing SPOLU (TOGETHER) coalition, have been gradually introducing their main subjects and theses.

Parties unveiling their programs, campaign will fully start in September

The Association for Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) movement is planning the hard start for its campaign on 4 September. “At the moment, this is mainly about an intensive, in-person campaign, we meet people and debate with them. Part of this section of the campaign is a factual campaign outdoors and online. The holidays don’t change anything for us, we still want to be mainly among the people, because the next parliamentary elections will be mainly about them,” ANO spokesman Martin Vodička told the Czech News Agency (ČTK).

The governing SPOLU (TOGETHER) coalition (Christian Democrats – KDU-ČSL, Civic Democratic Party – ODS, and TOP 09) is launching the second phase of its campaign called #BezBizáru [Without Weirdness]. “We will be presenting specific subjects which young people are actually interested in and we will show that politics doesn’t have to be a farce, but that it can be fair, understandable, and meaningful. We’ll end the evening with a musical show,” said spokesperson Jakub Skyva.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala will end his cycle of debates in the regional capitals on 7 July. The campaign, according to Skyva, will continue the tried-and-tested formats of the recent past.

According to spokesperson Sára Beránková, the Mayors and Independents’ Movement (STAN) has so far spent half of its election budget, including prepaid expenses for events in September. She said STAN does not want to disclose more detailed information about the campaign at this time for strategic reasons.

In the first part of the campaign, STAN invested part of their campaign money into charity events, and on Tuesday 24 June they published their program, both in full and in the form of an online Stanbot through which people can ask questions about subjects in which they are interested. Meanwhile the Pirates have already launched their nationwide campaign at the end of May under the slogan “Nakopneme to” [Let’s Score the Goal].

The Pirates have so far invested roughly half of their planned 55 million crown budget [EUR 2.2 million] into the campaign. Currently they are focusing on intensive contact with voters and regional trips, collaborating with the Green Party.

A memorandum of cooperation was signed by representatives of both parties on 23 June – approximately 30 Green representatives will be included on the Pirates’ candidate lists in eight regions. The alliance is intended to offer an environmentally sustainable, fair, liberal alternative at a time when the influence of extremists and populists is rising across Europe.

The Greens and the Pirates agree on the development of renewable sources of energy, on the need for anti-corruption reforms of a systemic nature, and on the shift away from fossil fuels. Economic expert Libor Dušek said the coalition of the Greens and the Pirates wants to facilitate affordable housing construction, improve state treasury revenues by limiting tax evasion, and support a unified public transport system.

The Pirates have learned from their unsuccessful collaboration with STAN in the last elections – this year they will allow their candidates to be circled preferentially, but they have also set clear rules regarding individual candidates campaigning against each other to prevent internal fragmentation. The party’s goal is to be such a strong entity that it cannot be ignored when forming the new government.

Anti-systemic, extremist, populist, and xenophobic groups such as the Motoristé sobě [Motorists Unite], Stačilo! [Enough!], and the “Freedom and Direct Democracy” (SPD) movement are also preparing for the elections, focusing primarily on in-person and outdoor campaigns. They plan the bulk of their spending for August and September.

Three Roma on the candidate lists of democratic parties: Miko warns against populists

News server Romea.cz knows of three Romani men so far who will be on the candidate lists of democratic parties. In the Central Bohemian Region, Cyril Koky is running for STAN in 13th place; in Prague, Jaroslav Miko is running for STAN in 14th place; and in the South Bohemian Region, Josef Tokár is running for the SPOLU coalition in 21st place.

Miko said on social media that he is running with the aim of personally succeeding while at the same time aiding a clearly democratic, pro-European party with succeeding. “I do not intend to change my positions just because it doesn’t ‘pay’ for them to be heard. Politics must not be about adapting to the moods of the mob, but about maintaining our integrity. I don’t intend to buy political success by losing face,” Miko posted on social media, saying that he will also try to motivate the Romani community to participate in the elections.

“I will do my best to explain within our Romani community that going to the polls has great meaning and Czech Roma should not trust scoundrels from political entities such as the ANO, SPD, Stačilo! or Motoristé sobě movements, because those entities threaten our children’s futures,” added Miko.

Cyril Koky: Romani people must stand on the side of democracy

Koky has already launched his campaign, having announced on Facebook that he is filming campaign videos for social media. He is also drawing attention to the importance of civic values through graphics.

“Czech Roma must stand on the side of democracy and human rights,” reads one of Koky’s banners online. In the South Bohemian Region, Josef Tokár, a 22-year-old student in the master’s program in archival science at South Bohemian University, is running for the SPOLU coalition in 21st place.

Tokár has a long-standing interest in education, public administration and Roma-related issues. He comes from Český Krumlov and has strong personal ties to the region.

The ROMEA scholarship holder has gained experience through participation in the international citizens’ parliament project “MeDeMap”. He has aided the Letňák v kině [Summer Cottage in the Cinema] cultural festival organizationally and describes himself as someone who sees value in both academic education and in working with his own hands.

As in previous elections, it is likely that some Roma will appear on the candidate lists of extremist, populist, and xenophobic groups. The number of Roma running this year will be definitively clear on Monday, 29 July, when political entities must submit their candidate lists by 16:00 CET at the latest.

Czech voters can cast ballots by mail from abroad for the first time in history

For the first time in the history of modern parliamentary elections, Czech citizens living abroad will be able to vote by mail. This option can be used by those who will be physically settled outside the Czech Republic or who have been residing outside the Czech Republic for a long time when the elections take place, who are registered with the special voter list at the Czech Embassy in their country of residence, ​​and who apply for election materials on time.

The option does not apply to voters who are just temporarily abroad, for instance, while on vacation. On the other hand, Erasmus students or workers abroad can take advantage of this option if they meet the above-described conditions.

Previously it was only possible to vote from abroad in person in elections to the Chamber of Deputies and in the presidential election. A new law expands the options for Czech voters abroad, of whom, according to estimates by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, there are over 600,000 living outside the country.

Actual turnout by voters abroad is still expected to be in just the tens of thousands. For comparison, in the second round of the presidential election in 2023, a record 22,932 voters voted from abroad – less than 4 % of the total potential.

The Czech Republic is following in the footsteps of most European Union Member States in introducing postal voting – 22 out of 27 EU countries offer a similar option. For instance in Germany up to 30% of voters use postal voting, including domestically.

The introduction of this form of voting brings the Czech Republic closer to the standards of modern European electoral practice and responds to a long-standing demand from the Czech diaspora. The Government and Interior Ministry argued the innovation makes it easier for those who would otherwise not be able to come to the consulate or embassy to participate in the elections and strengthens ties between the Czech Republic and the expatriate communities.

The introduction of postal voting also fulfilled one of the points of the current coalition government’s program statement. A two-envelope system will be used, which is intended to ensure the directness, freedom, and secrecy of the vote.

Applying for postal voting will be possible in several ways: by mail with an officially certified signature, in person, through a data box, or via the new Portál občana [Citizen’s Portal]. The introduction of voting by mail will not incur significant expenses for the state – the costs will be limited to the printing of envelopes, identification cards, and postage.

Compared to other options, such as establishing special election commissions abroad, this form of voting from abroad is the most economically and organizationally efficient.

Interior Ministry promises a fair election without manipulation

The Interior Ministry says it is paying maximum attention to election security, too. “The security and transparency of the organizational and technical security of the elections is our absolute priority,” Tomáš Jirovec of the Department of Elections at the Interior Ministry said previously.

The state will be implementing a “freeze” regime to suspend any interventions in its infrastructure during the key period of the casting of ballots and is monitoring cyber threats. The vote-counting process is said to remain fully transparent under the supervision of party-nominated election commission members and the public.

The Czech Statistical Office will continuously publish the results. This year, for the first time ever, voters can prove their identity at the polls not just with their plastic ID cards, but also digitally with what is called the “eDokladovka” (e-document) on their mobile phones.

The Interior Ministry is also warning against casting doubt on the integrity of the elections. “Casting doubt on the electoral process is a new phenomenon that could weaken trust in democratic institutions. We plan to explain to citizens in detail all the mechanisms which ensure that the Czech electoral system is resistant to manipulation,” said Miroslav Jašurek, director of the Communications Department.

Sociological research from the beginning of this year shows that 78 % of Czechs believe elections can be influenced through social networks, 60 % are concerned about postal voting, and 54 % are afraid that the Government itself will manipulate the vote. The Interior Ministry will run its own campaign to educate the electorate based on concrete facts.

The Interior Ministry is stressing to the public that the casting of ballots and counting of votes takes place in a decentralized manner in thousands of polling stations throughout the country which are supervised by the parties and the public and that no centralized manipulation of the outcome is possible. Also, the ministry is calling on the public to actively participate in monitoring the elections themselves, for instance, as commission members.