Czech EP elections: Opposition ANO party wins ahead of the governing coalition, no Romani candidates were elected
The Association of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) movement, now in opposition in the Czech Republic, has once again scored the highest number of votes during the elections to the European Parliament (EP) and will have seven MEPs, one more than they already do. Second place went to the Spolu (Together) coalition of three of the five parties currently governing the country, the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), Christian Democratic Party (KDU-ČSL) and TOP 09, which will hold a total of six seats, losing two.
None of the three candidates from the Romani community were elected. The Czech Statistical Office has reported the results.
Third place went to the joint ticket of the Motorists Unite (Motoristé sobě) party and the Oath (Přísaha) party, picking up two seats on their first-ever participation in the elections to the EP. The same number of MEPs will be sent by the joint ticket called Enough! (Stačilo!), led by the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSČM); the governing Mayors and Independents (STAN) party gained one seat compared to the 2019 elections and will also have two MEPs.
The Pirates, the fifth party in government in the Czech Republic, did worse than last time and will be sending just one MEP instead of the current three. There was a similar outcome (one MEP) for the joint ticket of the opposition “Freedom and Direct Democracy” (SPD) movement, which is seated in the Czech Parliament, and the Tricolor party, which is not; the SPD had been defending two MEP seats.
No Romani candidates won, David Beňák got the most preferential votes
David Beňák, who ran as a candidate for the ANO movement in 17th place, was not elected to the European Parliament. He won a total of 1,814 preferential votes, 0.23 % of the total ballots cast for the movement.
To be elevated to an electable position, Beňák needed 38,808 preferential votes. “I thank everybody who contributed to my campaign. We didn’t have a specific idea of the result because this campaign was the first of its kind. We had many limitations, we might not have had enough resources, but that makes us all the more determined to change things for the good of the Roma. Now we will continue to explain to the community that elections are the only opportunity we Roma have to influence how we will live here. Let’s get ready for the next elections! Thanks to everybody once again!” he told news server Romea.cz after the results were published.
Romani candidate Jaroslav Miko, who ran in 10th place on the list of the STAN movement, also did not ultimately move into an electable position, winning 692 preferential votes, 0.26 % of the total ballots cast for STAN. Given the number of preferential votes cast for STAN candidates Danuše Nerudová (59,577) and Jan Farský (44,503), Miko would have needed more than 44,503 of the preferential votes to beat out Farský for a seat.
“This is a disappointment. The overall result is disappointing, as is my own personal result. Disinformation won, as did the attacks coming from the lowest drives, such as fear,” Miko briefly commented to Romea.cz on the result.
Romani candidate Ivana Batthyany won just 23 preferential votes on the candidate list of the The Left (Levice), 1 % of the total number of ballots cast for that party, which won a total of 0.07 % of the vote.
Record participation in the EP elections in the Czech Republic
A total of 36.45 % of registered voters cast their ballots in the EP elections this year in the Czech Republic. That turnout rate is the highest since the country joined the European Union.
Five years ago just 28.72 % of voters turned out. The Czech Statistical Office has published the results of the voting on its website.
Voter turnout was higher than 30 % in all regions of the country this year. The highest number of voters turned out in Prague, at 42.58 %.
No other region in the country saw turnout above 40 %. The regions that came the closest were the Vysočina Region with 38.42 %, followed by the Hradec Králové Region with 38.2 %.
The least interest in the elections to the EP was in the Karlovy Vary Region, where 30.21 % of registered voters came to the polls. The Ústecký Region came in second to last with a turnout of 30.74 %.
During the previous four elections to the EP, the highest turnout happened in May 2019, when 28.72 % of voters went to the polls. Five years before that, just 18.2 % of the electorate took advantage of the opportunity to select their representatives in the EP, the lowest on record.
In 2009, turnout was 28.22 % and in 2004, when Czechs cast their first ballots in an EP election, turnout was 28.32 %.
