Elections in Prague: Spolu is the favorite, but he doesn’t have to rule
However, the nuances in the Pirates and Together programs indicate different approaches to urban transport. Unlike the right-wing bloc, the Pirates mention the negative impact of car traffic on air pollution and the occupation of urban space. Mayoral candidate Spolu and spokesperson Bohuslav Svoboda, on the other hand, stated in a recent interview for DeníkN that emissions from cars are not essential for human health.
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The construction of cycle paths by the Pirates is intended to create a systematically connected network which, when completed, will make it possible to ride across the entire city on safe routes. On the other hand, Spolu plans cycle paths in specific locations of a recreational nature. For example, in Motolské údolí.
Pre-election polls and probes give the Spolu coalition the best chance of victory, followed by the Pirates, the ANO movement, the Praha sebe and STAN groups. Several other formations, led by the left-wing Solidarity (ČSSD, Zelení) and the nationalist “conglomerate” SPD, Tricolor and the PES movement, have an electoral potential above five percent. In addition to the national parties, entities focused exclusively on life in the capital applied for the Prague elections (Motoristé sebo, Za séché ulice v Praha, Praha naš domov, Praha bez chaosu…).
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Four years ago, the election results were close, when five female candidates received between 15 and 18 percent (ODS, Prague Self, Pirates, United Forces for Prague, ANO) and no one else made it to the council. This time, Spolu is a stronger favorite in terms of individual electoral gains, but its coalition potential may be weaker compared to its main competition. The connection between Together with Prague and the Pirates is hard to imagine.
On the other hand, the chances of the STAN movement and thus its “natural” allies (especially the Pirates and Prague itself) are weakened by the Dosimeter case, which the public learned about in June. The revelation of corruption in Dopravní podnika caused contradictions and mutual accusations even among the former leaders of the current coalition, who liked to call each other “neighbor” at the beginning of the election period.
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“Now it is clear why the accused Augustín was on the board of directors of the DPP in a place belonging to TOP 09. I also now understand why the members of the TOP 09 club got rid of Jiří Pospíšil – they did not want anything to do with this, with Mr. Fremr. They cannot run for pay. Respect!,” wrote Jan Čižinský, head of representatives of Praha sebe and long-time mayor of Prague 7 (Prague 7 sebe) on Twitter at the end of spring.
Jiří Pospíšil, the former leader of the United Forces and still the chairman of TOP 09 in Prague, then told Čižínský that he would sue him “for false statements on social networks”.
What is burning Prague before the elections? Transport, closures and columns