The mayor of Prague 22 called the council for election day, even though they will not have mandates. We will not come, says the opposition Politics | News | Prague Gossip
The mayor of the Prague 22 district, Tomáš Kaněra, called an extraordinary assembly for this Saturday, September 24, even though he knew that the deputies would no longer have mandates. The request for the convocation was submitted by the opposition, but according to Kaněra, it was an attempt to influence the voters. The opposition defends itself by saying that the meeting could have taken place on Monday, they do not intend to come on Saturday.
“This call was delivered evidently with the intention that this session would interfere directly with the election”
Mayor Tomáš Kaněra (ANO) informed about Saturday’s extraordinary assembly on the website of the municipal district. The request of seven representatives for STAN and two for Prague 22. Our city was delivered to him on September 9. By law, the meeting must be convened within 15 days. “I received a request to call a meeting of all 25 representatives of our municipal council, and this call was delivered with the evident intention that this meeting would interfere directly with the election. I consider it a mere political ploy, trying to abuse and bend the law, which does not remember this situation,” stated Kanera on the website.
He therefore announced that the council is convening on September 24 at five o’clock, that is, three hours after the end of the elections.
“Therefore, I decided to fulfill my duty, as imposed on me by law, but at the same time, it does not allow the meeting of the municipal council to coincide with the elections, which is what the representatives for STAN and Prague 22 are trying to do. That is why I convened the ZMČ meeting on the date that the law allows me, even though I am also aware that this convening cannot realistically take place, because at the end of the first day the representatives will lose theirs. explained Kaněra.
The council meeting was supposed to take place on Monday
According to representative Vojtěch Zelenka, who was one of those who invited the mayor to the meeting, it should and could have been held this Monday, September 19. “In May, the district council approved the dates for the June and September meetings. In September, the regular assembly was to be held on 19.9. At the end of the holidays, the mayor convened an extraordinary assembly due to problems with the Pitkovice Multipurpose Center (the only item on the agenda). All representatives expected that one regular meeting would take place before the elections on September 19, but in recent weeks we have started to receive signals that the Municipal Council is considering not to hold this meeting.” stated for the editors of Pražská Drbna Vojtěch Zelenka(TENT).
The multi-functional house in Pitkovice was built by Raeder & Falge, as well as the footbridge in Radotín. But the company is now insolvent, and the construction for 105 million, which was supposed to be completed in the spring of 2023, will become more expensive and will be delayed by at least a year.
The problem is an unapproved school
In addition to this, the opposition is also dealing with the newly opened modular extension of the U Obory Primary School, which, according to Zelenka, does not have approval or a building permit, and yet over a hundred pupils have been attending it since September 1. It was because of her that the opposition wanted to convene the assembly.
“I would like to point out again that the building is as safe as any other school building in our district, even if we did not have time to approve it before the beginning of the school year. But we did everything to ensure the safety of children and employees. All necessary equipment checks have taken place and the building and its equipment are monitored more carefully and more frequently than other properties.” wrote Kaněra on the website. According to him, it is a better option than driving the children all over Prague or teaching on a shift basis.
On Tuesday, Kaněra announced that the school would be closed. “In a few days we will have to close the building for approval. We will try for the shortest possible time, we hope for approval within a fortnight,” Kaněra told CTK. He added that the building authority must prohibit the use of the building based on an anonymous initiative.
“We would not be able to accept any resolutions at the council”
In addition, the opposition also had on the agenda the case of the Finep development project and the editor-in-chief’s comment to the September Uhříněveský zravodavík, which, according to Zelenka, dishonored some entities.
“Mr. Mayor Kaněra is apparently concerned with the seriousness (especially of the black buildings of ZŠ U Obory) and together with the lawyers he devised a structure which he fulfills (to convene the council within 15 days), but his actions cannot be valid, as the councilors’ mandate ends on the first day. election,” Zelenka told our editors.
“Neither I nor any of the others are going to the council, as our mandates end on September 23. midnight. Therefore, we would not be able to accept any resolutions at the council,” said Zelenka. He added that due to the large number of negative reactions from residents, the Facebook administrator of the district had blocked comments under the posts, which the locals are very unhappy about.
Kaněra has been mayor since June 2021, when he replaced Zelenka in the position. This was revoked by a narrow majority of thirteen deputies.