Czech elections to regional assemblies 2024: Who are the Romani candidates and which parties are they running for?
More than 8,280 candidates are running in this year's elections to regional assemblies. That number is fewer than during the last elections four years ago, when there were as many as 9,730 candidates running.
The Czech Statistical Office has published that information and more about this year’s contest. According to news server Romea.cz, this year at least 11 Romani women and men are running.
For each of the 675 regional assembly seats there is an average of 12 candidates, while during the previous elections there were between 14 and 15 candidates running per seat. This year 76 political movements and parties have fielded candidates who are their members in the regional elections, nine more such parties than in 2020.
There are also representatives of another 10 movements and parties among the nominees who are running on their tickets, but not as members. In total, therefore, including the non-member candidates, there are representatives of 87 movements and parties, while during the previous elections there were 91 movements and parties represented.
The Association of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) movement has again nominated the most members as candidates, 681 of the 737 candidates being fielded by the movement. Second place in this regard goes to the Czech Pirate Party, at 715 members running, with the “Freedom and Direct Democracy” (SPD) movement coming in third with 636 members running on its lists.
The fewest candidates (just one) have been fielded by the Voice of Self-Administration (Hlas samospráv) movement. There are 3,062 non-members running this year, 37 % of all candidates, the same proportion as four years ago.
Romani women and men are running for various parties in various regions
News server Romea.cz has identified at least 11 Romani women and men running in six of the country’s 14 regions – three in the Moravian-Silesian Region, two in the Karlovy Vary Region, two in the South Bohemian Region, one in the Liberec Region and one in the South Moravian Region. They are all running from places on the candidate lists which do not give them a big chance of being elected.
There could be more Romani women and men running whom news server Romea.cz has yet to identify, though. In the Karlovy Vary Region, Jiří Sivák, the Mayor of Vřesová, is running for the Association of Independent Candidates – Mayors of Our Region party in 13th place.
František Gašpár, the 35-year-old Vice-Mayor of Vřesová, is running in 15th place on that same ticket there. In the South Bohemian Region, Milan Kotlár, who works in hospitality in Český Krumlov, is running for the JIHOČEŠI 2012 (SOUTH BOHEMIANS 2012) ticket in 32nd place.
Do you know of other Romani women or men who are running in the elections to the regional assemblies? Let us know! Write an e-mail to romea@romea.cz or comment on our social media.
Robert Kotlár, a member of the Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL), is also running for the South Bohemian Regional Assembly. He is a pensioner living with a disability and is running in 58th place on that ticket.
As has become traditional, Andrea Kuchtová of the SPD is running in the Ústecký Region. She has been given 51st place on the list.
Martin Mata, director of the Innovation Center, which is run by the Ústecký Region, is running in 20th place on the candidate list of the Lepší sever (A Better North) movement. Nikola Stojková, a member of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), is running in the Moravian-Silesian Region with the SPOLU (TOGETHER) coalition in 39th place.
Ladislav Mártha is representing the Social Democrats in the elections in the Liberec Region. Cyril Koky (age 36), a member of the Czech Pirate Party, is running in the Moravian-Silesian Region in 34th place.
Jiří Daniel, a social worker and local assembly member in the municipality of Olomučany, is running in the South Moravian Region in 46th place on the Social Democratic list. “I’d like to get more experience in the issues of the region and to transfer that experience back to the conditions of my municipality, in short, I want to be involved,” he said when asked by news server Romea.cz why he decided to run.
Daniel said he wants to become a member of the Committee for National Minorities at the South Moravian Regional Authority.
Martin Mata: I am running as a citizen of the Czech Republic, not as a minority representative
“My original plan was not to run again, because right now I am fully involved in work that is fulfilling where I already have the opportunity to contribute to the development of our region, which is essential to me,” Mata, who is running for Lepší sever (A Better North) in the Ústecký Region, said in an interview for news server Romea.cz. “I am running in 20th place, which is primarily a symbolic expression of my interest in what is happening in our region and my efforts to influence its direction in the future, including politically.”
“I was motivated to run by my family and friends, who encouraged me to become actively involved. I see this move as a balanced compromise that makes it possible for me to support the candidates running ahead of me on the ticket without anticipating that I will reach a higher position,” Mata said, adding that if he were to win the trust of the voters, he would accept the duties of office with full responsibility.
Mata stresses that he is primarily running as a citizen of the Czech Republic interested in develping the region, not as a minority representative. “My identity and opinions are shaped primarily through my relationship to this country and the community in which I live,” the candidate explained.
Nikol Stojková: I like the program of the SPOLU (TOGETHER) coalition, their campaign is positive, they don’t attack their opponents
Nikol Stojková, a Romani woman living in Ostrava, is running in 39th place for the Moravian-Silesian Regional Assembly for the SPOLU (TOGETHER) coalition. She is a graduate of an economics secondary school with a matura exam and currently works in administration.
As a single mother who is self-supporting, Stojková is raising a daughter and a son. Her son suffers from autism spectrum disorder.
“I would like to shine a light on deficiencies in health and social services and propose changes in those areas at the regional level. I know from personal experience how difficult it is as a Romani single mother to raise and care for children and to care for a handicapped son on top of that. I would like to represent those people in particular whose needs are little discussed in the public space and whose opinions are not heard enough in society,” Stojková told Romea.cz.
“If I win enough trust and votes, I would like to be seated on the commissions and committees at the Regional Authority which focus on health care and social aspects. I believe that is my place here,” Stojková explained.
Stojková said she chose the SPOLU (TOGETHER) coalition first and foremost because their political program for the Moravian-Silesian Region is close to her values. “I like the SPOLU coalition because, among other matters, they are running a positive campaign in our region and not slandering the other political parties,” she told Romea.cz.
Robert Kotlár: I want to aid sick children and everybody who needs it
Robert Kotlár, who is running in 58th place on the candidate list called Společně pro jižní Čechy (Together for South Bohemia) – a coalition of TOP 09, KDU-ČSL, and Tábor 2020 – is running in the regional elections with the clear goal of aiding the needy. Kotlár decided to enter politics so he can actively contribute to a better future for the residents of the South Bohemian Region.
“To aid sick children and everybody who needs it, including the citizens everywhere I will be able to,” Kotlár said when asked by news server Romea.cz what his motivation is for running. His main aim is to bring assistance and support where it is most needed, and not just to children, but to the broader public.
Kotlár did not choose the coalition for which he is running by accident. “I reached out to them and it was the best decision I could have made. They gave me a chance and we immediately began a brilliant collaboration. They are the only ones to give me a chance, thanks to which I will be able to aid the people around me,” he said.
He is offering specific aims and pledges to the voters. “I’m running so I can arrange a better future for our citizens, address this issue in the municipalities and much more,” Kotlár said of his vision.
The elections to the regional assemblies will take place on 20 and 21 September together with the first round of elections to the Senate.
