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03 Oct 2020 | Brussels

ODS victorious in Czech regional elections

03 Oct 2020 | Brussels

ODS victorious in Czech regional elections

ODS victorious in Czech regional elections

The Czech Republic held regional elections on 2 and 3 October throughout the country with the exception of the Prague region which follows its own procedure. The ODS (Civic-Democratic Party), an ECR member party, obtained 114 seats. ODS supported candidates also won five senate seats and a sixth was won by an ODS supported candidate, this was after a second round of voting. The ODS also managed to have five party members appointed as presidents of regions. This showing makes the ODS the strongest opposition party at national level, while working in various coalitions with other parties on the local and regional levels.

In this election cycle, the motto of the ODS party was "Let's put the Czech Republic back on its feet!". By running on a platform that emphasised economic recovery from COVID-19, limited government and subsidiarity, the ODS had one of its most successful showings in recent years with high levels of support even from the beginning of the campaign. The final results from the regional elections and the Senate elections show that the ODS is committed to coordination and cooperation with other opposition parties to create a substantive change in policy across the country. The ODS hopes to build and expand on this result in the coming elections so more Czech citizens can have their voices heard, and that fundamental rights and freedoms can be defended. 

The ECR Group in the CoR has two Czech members who are also ODS members, Mr Dan Jiránek and Mr Oldřich Vlasák. Mr Jiránek serves as a Councillor of the City of Kladno while Mr Vlasák is Councillor of the City of Hradec Králové. The ODS did especially well in the Hradec Králové region, making significant electoral gains and finishing at the top of the regional polls. The ECR Group in the CoR congratulates the ODS politicians and lawmakers on their result.​​