Municipal elections Prague: 8 lives and Prague joins forces
Prague’s municipal elections next year have their first allies. In Prague 8, two so-called civic candidates decided to run together, namely 8živi and Praha Sobě (PS). This was announced on Monday by the chairman of the deputies Tomáš Němeček and the leader of the PS, the mayor of Prague 7 and the Prague representative Jan Čižinský. The civic candidate brings together independent candidates who, in order to be able to run for the electorate, must first collect the signatures of at least seven percent of the population in the municipality where they are running. The life was created before the elections in 2018 and the PS emerged at the same time from the original candidate, Prague 7, which now rules the second period in a row in Prague 7.
“We are part of the same blood type, two candidates based on IP neighbors of their signatures. Representatives 8 live doing an excellent job, they have been looking at the traditional politicians there for a long time, whether the ODS, YES or both parties rule together at the top eight, “said Čižinský.
Němeček justified the connection with the current steps of the PS in the neighboring city district and the municipality. “PS brought Prague politics to the competence. One example for all of them is (the mayor’s deputy) Pavel Vyhnánek, who put in order the management of Prague 7 and now the capital. Prague 7 was guarding the construction of its town hall, repairing municipal flats and building a new school. We need all this at eight, “he said.
In the case of the town hall, Němeček came across the construction of the Palmovka Center, which was approved by the former management of Prague 8 in 2010 and which has not yet been completed. The torso of the building was taken over from the town hall this year by the municipality, which will complete it. City Hall has no money for it.
In order to be able to apply, the two merged entities will start obtaining at least seven percent of signatures from about 100,000 inhabitants of Prague 8 by the beginning of August. Čižinský said that the signatures will be collected at once. As soon as someone signs and supports the candidate in Prague 8, he can also sign the all-Prague one for PS in the same place. He did not rule out the possibility that candidates may also appear on the city-wide candidate in the future, it will depend on further progress and negotiations.
PS has already started collecting signatures for its candidate for the municipality, it has about 20,000 signatures. She also collected them in front of the polling stations during the October elections to the Chamber of Deputies, for which she was criticized by the municipal opposition and coalition representatives. The PS rules with the Pirates and the United Forces for Prague (TOP 09 and STAN). Čižinský said some time ago that he had the ambition to run for mayor.
Independent initiative
The life was established as an independent citizens’ initiative for the municipal elections in 2018. It ended third, winning eight seats in the 45-member council. The initiative is in opposition. The PS followed up on Prague 7 to itself, which won the 2014 and 2018 elections in the seventh district. At the beginning, there was a petition against the construction of a new town hall, which was planned by the then management. According to the PS, it was overpriced and therefore held a referendum. In it, residents spoke out against the planned building.