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All 21 Czech seats in theEuropean Parliament | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 36.45% ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections were held in theCzech Republic from 7 to 8 June 2024 to elect 21 Czech representatives for theEuropean Parliament, alongside the EU-wide2024 European Parliament election. This was the fifth parliamentary election since theCzech Republic's EU accession in 2004, and the first to take place after Brexit.
The 21 members were elected throughsemi-open listproportional representation in a single nationwide constituency with seats allocated throughD'Hondt method and a 5% electoral threshold for both single parties and coalitions of two or more parties.[1]
Both Czech and EU citizens were entitled to vote in the European election in Czech Republic provided they had a permanent or temporary residence in the country at least 45 days prior to the elections. In addition, those eligible to vote had to be 18 years old by the second election day at the latest. Voter registration was required only for non-Czech EU citizens residing in Czech Republic, while Czech citizens were automatically registered in their place of residence. Citizens abroad were not able to vote by post or in Czechdiplomatic missions, but may have been eligible to vote in another EU member country.[2]
The previous elections to the European Parliament were held in the Czech Republic on 24–25 May 2019. Voter turnout was 28.72%. The parties and candidates elected were:
In October 2020,Radka Maxová resigned from ANO, and in March 2021, she started cooperating as a non-party member with theCzech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD), which had not won any seats in the previous election.[3] In September 2022, Hynek Blaško resigned from SPD and now sits in the EP as an independent.[4]
In June 2022, the only STAN MEP, Stanislav Polčák, announced he was suspending his membership in the party, following allegations that he was a member of corruption group led by his party colleague Petr Hlubuček.[5] A year later, Polčák resumed his membership after the Czech police decided not to charge him with any criminal offence.[6]
The table shows the detailed composition of the Czech seats at the European Parliament as of 25 January 2024.
The following parties and coalitions running in the European elections were represented in the Chamber of Deputies or in the European Parliament in time of the election:
| Party | Main ideology | Leader(s) | European party | EP Group | 2019 result | Outgoing MEPs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes (%) | Seats | ||||||||
| SPOLU | Together | Liberal conservatism | Alexandr Vondra | ECR EPP | ECR EPP | 33.44%[d] | 8 / 21 | 8 / 21 | |
| ANO | ANO 2011 ANO 2011 | Right-wing populism | Klára Dostálová | ALDE | RE | 21.19% | 6 / 21 | 3 / 21 | |
| Piráti | Czech Pirate Party Česká pirátská strana | Pirate politics | Marcel Kolaja | PPEU | Greens/EFA | 13.96% | 3 / 21 | 3 / 21 | |
| STAN | Mayors and Personalities for Europe Starostové a osobnosti pro Evropu | Liberalism | Danuše Nerudová | None | EPP | 11.65%[e] | 1 / 21 | 1 / 21 | |
| SPD and Trikolóra | SPD and Tricolour SPD a Trikolóra | Right-wing populism | Petr Mach | ID Party | ID | 9.14%[f] | 2 / 21 | 1 / 21 | |
| Enough! | Enough! | Left-wing nationalism | Kateřina Konečná | PEL | The Left | 6.94%[g] | 1 / 21 | 1 / 21 | |
| ZNČR Alliance | Alliance for the Independence of the Czech Republic | Ultranationalism | Hynek Blaško | None | NI | 1.23% | 0 / 21 | 1 / 21 | |
| Source:[7][8][9] | |||||||||
The following parties and coalitions have announced submitted their candidacy, were not represented in the Chamber of Deputies nor in the European Parliament at the time of the election, but have appeared at least one relevantopinion poll:
| Party | Main ideology | Leader(s) | European party | EP Group | 2019 result | Outgoing MEPs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes (%) | Seats | ||||||||
| SOCDEM | Social Democracy Sociální demokracie | Social democracy | Lubomír Zaorálek | PES | S&D | 3.95% | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| Svobodní | Svobodní | Libertarian conservatism | Libor Vondráček | None | None | 0.65% | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| PRO 2022 | Law, Respect, Expertise Právo Respekt Odbornost | Right-wing populism | Jindřich Rajchl | None | None | did not exist | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| Přísaha and Motorists | Přísaha and Motorists Přísaha a Motoristé | Right-wing populism | Filip Turek | None | None | did not exist | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| Greens | Green Party Strana zelených | Green politics | Johanna Nejedlová | EGP | Greens/EFA | did not run[h] | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| Source:[7][9] | |||||||||
The following parties and coalitions were not represented in the Chamber of Deputies or the European Parliament at the time of the election and have not appeared in any relevant opinion poll:
| Party | Main ideology | Leader(s) | European party | EP Group | 2019 result | Outgoing MEPs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes (%) | Seats | ||||||||
| ČR1 | Czech Republic on the 1st place! Česká republika na 1. místě! | Vaccine hesitancy | Ladislav Vrabel | None | None | did not exist | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| ČSSD | Czech Sovereignty of Social Democracy Česká suverenita
| Left-wing nationalism | Jiří Paroubek | None | None | 0.11% | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| DSZ - ZA PRÁVA ZVÍŘAT | Democratic Party of Greens – For Animal Rights Demokratická strana zelených – Za práva zvířat | Green politics | Hana Janišová | None | None | 0.60% | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| Voice | Voice Hlas | Liberalism | Milan Hamerský | None | RE | 2.38% | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| KAN | Club of Committed Non-Party Members Klub angažovaných nestraníků | Liberal conservatism | Stanislav Pochman | None | None | 0.10% | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| LANO | Liberal Alliance of Independent Citizens [cs] Liberální aliance nezávislých občanů | Liberalism | Šimon Hlinovský | None | None | did not exist | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| Better Life for the People | Better Life for the People [cs] Lepší život pro lidi | Populism | Pavel Opl | None | None | did not run | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| The Left | The Left Levice | Democratic socialism | Jan Májíček | PEL | GUE/NGL | did not run | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| aliens.eu | Better EU with Alliens [cs] Lepší EU s mimozemšťany | Political satire | Tomáš Franěk | None | None | did not exist | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| Mourek | Tabby Cat [cs] Mourek | Liberalism | Jan Červenka | None | None | did not exist | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| NOS | New Direction [cs] Nový směr | Internet access expansion | Zbyněk Hromek | None | None | did no exist | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| PB | Right Bloc Pravý blok | Right-wing populism | Petr Cibulka | None | None | 0.20% | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| FOR CZEXIT | FOR CZEXIT PRO vystoupení z EU | Euroscepticism | Ctirad Musil | None | None | 0.27%[i] | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| REFERENDUM | Referendum – Voice of the People [cs] REFERENDUM - Hlas lidu | Direct democracy | Václav Sogel | None | None | did not exist | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| SEN 21 and Volt | SEN 21 and Volt SEN21 a Volt | European federalism | Lenka Helena Koenigsmark | EDP Volt | REGreens/EFA | did not exist | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| SESO | Seniors for Themselves [cs] Senioři sobě | Pensioners' interests | Jaroslav Pollák | None | None | did not exist | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| ŠD and SSPD-SP | ŠD and SSPD-SP | Swiss system | Pynelopi Cimprichová | None | None | did not exist | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| URZA | Urza.cz | Anarcho-capitalism | Martin Urza | None | None | did not run | 0 / 21 | 0 / 21 | |
| Source:[7][9] | |||||||||
TheCivic Democratic Party (ODS),KDU-ČSL andTOP 09 have discussed whether they will run under the combinedSPOLU banner or independently. According to reports, the ODS and TOP 09 memberships would prefer to run independently,[10] while ODS leader and Czech Prime MinisterPetr Fiala favours a joint candidacy as SPOLU.[11] A combined list under the SPOLU banner is problematic due to the fact that ODS is part of theEuropean Conservatives and Reformists EP grouping, whileKDU-ČSL andTOP 09 are part of theEuropean People's Party.[12] Sitting MEP and ODS' 2019 electoral leaderJan Zahradil was reported to be problematic forKDU-ČSL andTOP 09, as well as many ODS members such as MPEva Decroix.[13] On 5 June 2023, Zahradil announced that he would not run in the election.[14]Alexandr Vondra has also been speculated as a potential lead candidate for ODS or SPOLU as whole.[15][13]
On 18 May 2023, members of KDU-ČSL voted in a membership referendum in favor of running independently.[16] On 20 May 2023, KDU-ČSL decided at its nomination conference that its lead candidate for the 2024 elections will be current MEPTomáš Zdechovský. Other candidates will include: František Talíř, the 1st Deputy Governor of the South Bohemian Region; MEP Michaela Šojdrová; Ondřej Mikmek, mayor of Slatinice in Olomouc; senator and twice presidential candidate Pavel Fischer; and MP Hayato Okamura. A decision over whether KDU-ČSL will run independently or as part of theSPOLU alliance will be made by September 2023.[17][18]
On 30 October 2023, ODS, TOP 09 and KDU-ČSL announced that they will contest the election on a joint list.[19]
TheCzech Pirate Party launched primaries for its election list on 30 May 2023. All incumbent MEPs (Mikuláš Peksa, Markéta Gregorová and Marcel Kolaja) announced their intention to run for the position of electoral leader.[20] Former MPMikuláš Ferjenčík also announced his candidacy, and received the endorsements of Minister of Foreign AffairsJan Lipavský and former Mayor of PragueZdeněk Hřib. 2019 electoral leader Marcel Kolaja soon criticised Ferjenčík, stating that the leader should be a respected politician.[15] The fifth candidate is Jana Kolaříková, chair of the South Bohemian branch of the party.[21]
MP and former government ministerKlára Dostálová is speculated to become the lead candidate for ANO 2011.[15] 2019 electoral leaderDita Charanzová was reportedly undecided whether to run again.[22] Party leaderAndrej Babiš was also reported to be considering his own candidacy.[12]
Leader ofMayors and Independents (STAN)Vít Rakušan suggestedJan Farský as his party's electoral leader.[23]
Former Czech Prime MinisterJiří Paroubek has announced his intention to run in the election with his Nespokojení (Dissatisfied) movement, with the aim of connecting parties on the left of the political spectrum.[13]
In October 2023,Volt andSEN21 announced that they would be standing in the European elections with a joint list.[24][25][26] The head of their joint list is Lenka Koenigsmark.[27]
On 8 April 2024, ice hockey coach and former professional playerVladimír Růžička announced his candidacy forPRO 2022.[28]
The official campaign began on 26 January 2024, when Czech presidentPetr Pavel announced the official date of the election.[29] From that date, no party or coalition can spend more than 50 million crowns on campaign promotion and must create a transparent bank account within five days.[30]
ANO 2011 started its campaign inZlín, where party leaderAndrej Babiš and election list lead candidateKlára Dostálová presented the party's priorities: Czech sovereignty, European self-reliance, and cutting back theEuropean Green Deal. The party also said it wants to curb illegal immigration, lessen the EU's impact on daily life, and will oppose the adoption of the Euro.[31] ANO stated that its goal is to win at least six seats.[32]
The party announced its slogan as "Česko, pro tebe všecko" (English: "Czechia, everything for you"), accompanied by pictures of Babiš and Dostálová withCzech flags painted on their cheeks. ODS bought the web domain of the slogan, and placed there a manipulated version of the graphic, featuring the slogan changed to "Rusko, pro tebe všecko” (English: "Russia, everything for you") andRussian flags instead. President Petr Pavel subsequently criticized both sides for the conduct of their campaigns, calling them "unfair and dangerous".[33]
SPOLU launched its campaign in Prague, in the café of Činoherní klub, where theCivic Forum was founded around 30 years earlier. The launch was led by the leaders of the constituent parties -Petr Fiala,Markéta Pekarová Adamová andMarian Jurečka - as well as the list leader, ODSMEPAlexandr Vondra.
The alliance restated that it was an umbrella movement for conservatives, economic liberals and Christian democrats. As its slogan, it chose "Bezpečná Evropa, silnější Česko" (English: "Safe Europe, stronger Czechia") and framed the election as a "clash between democratic parties and one-man projects". Vondra said that the alliance's goal is to win the election.[34][35]
Vondra said Spolu would push for modifications of the European Green Deal.[34] As lead priorities he named defense and security, handling of immigration into Europe, and "kickstarting the European economy". He also said that wanted to replicate the "great Danish immigration model" and ease regulations concerning the manufacture of heavy weapons.[36]
Mayors and Independents launched their campaign before all other parties, with their leader Vít Rakušan starting a series of "Debates without censorship" in January, where he visited less-developed regions, mostly in the formerSudetenland, to answer questions from the local public.[37][38][39] Some experts criticized these events, accusing Rakušan of using low-income people to gain popularity. Others praised Rakušan for creating opportunities for dialogue.[40][41]
While the early debates were not a formal part of the European election campaign, they were financed from STAN's EP election funds from the beginning.[42] In April, Rakušan passed the debates to the leaders of STAN's candidate list, Jan Farský and Danuše Nerudová.[43][44] The debates also moved to larger cities like Brno.[45][46]
As STAN's priorities, Nerudová mentioned fighting climate change, lowering the minimum voting age to 16, making the EU more accessible for young people, and preventing illegal migration.[47] She also said they want to focus on lowering economical inequality between regions, help Europe’s competitiveness and lowering bureaucracy.[48]
The Pirates launched their campaign on the last day of April, stating that they intend to focus ondigitalization, improvingquality of life, and fightingcorruption andtax havens. The also mentioned support for abortion rights and LGBTQ+ rights, as well as lowering the inequality between EU regions. The party also proposed "fixing" theEuropean Green Deal. As their goal, the party stated that it wants to win three to four seats.[49][50]
Both party leaderIvan Bartoš and list leaderMarcel Kolaja criticised the political regimes inHungary andSlovakia, calling their prime ministers "merchants of fear" who "push society towards the east". They also criticised some Czech parties, like ODS, for keeping ties with parties within the ECR faction.[51]
SPD began its campaign as a series of meetings with voters and supporters, at which the party presented its candidates and manifesto.[52] The meetings were intended to gain traction for a planned demonstration on Prague'sWenceslas Square, however, only about 1,000 people attended, far less than similar demonstrations in the two previous years.[53] During the speech of SPD leaderTomio Okamura at the demonstration, opponents threw eggs at him, and were subsequently arrested.[54]
The leaders of the two parties said their goal was to attract dissatisfied ODS voters, arguing that ODS had abandoned its Eurosceptic policies and switched to support for the Green Deal,EU migration pact and euro adoption. SPD said they want to attract voters by focusing on an economic issues, and by giving the lead spot to economist and former Svobodní MEPPetr Mach.[55][56]
| Name | Party | Date announced | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan Zahradil | Civic Democratic Party (ECR) | 5 June 2023 | [57] |
| Radka Maxová | Independent (S&D) | 31 October 2023 | [58] |
| Stanislav Polčák | Mayors and Independents (EPP) | 3 January 2024 | [59] |
| Evžen Tošenovský | Civic Democratic Party (ECR) | 5 April 2024 | [60] |
Following the election, ANO 2011 leftALDE and theRenew Europe group, and subsequently co-foundedPatriots for Europe. Přísaha and Motorists also joined Patriots for Europe, having initially planned to join theEuropean Conservatives and Reformists.[61]
| Party | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots for Europe | 9 | +9 | |
| European People's Party | 5 | 0 | |
| European Conservatives and Reformists | 3 | -1 | |
| Greens–European Free Alliance | 1 | -2 | |
| Europe of Sovereign Nations | 1 | +1 | |
| Non-Inscrits | 2 | +2 | |
| Total | 21 | 0 | |
| Members of the European Parliament for theCzech Republic | |
|---|---|
| Observers | (2003) |
| Delegation | (2004) |
| 6th term | (2004) |
| 7th term | (2009) |
| 8th term | (2014) |
| 9th term | (2019) |
| 10th term | (2024) |
| Num | MEP | Party | EP Group | Pref. Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Klára Dostálová | ANO | PfE | 171,142 | ||
| 2. | Filip Turek | Přísaha | PfE | 152,196 | ||
| 3. | Alexandr Vondra | ODS | ECR | 118,492 | ||
| 4. | Kateřina Konečná | KSČM | NI | 115,386 | ||
| 5. | Luděk Niedermayer | TOP 09 | EPP | 88,631 | ||
| 6. | Tomáš Zdechovský | KDU–ČSL | EPP | 66,948 | ||
| 7. | Danuše Nerudová | STAN | EPP | 59,577 | ||
| 8. | Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová | ANO | PfE | 49,683 | ||
| 9. | Jan Farský | STAN | EPP | 44,503 | ||
| 10. | Veronika Vrecionová | ODS | ECR | 35,310 | ||
| 11. | Jaroslav Bžoch | ANO | PfE | 31,989 | ||
| 12. | Ondřej Kolář | TOP 09 | EPP | 31,623 | ||
| 13. | Ivan David | SPD | ESN | 30,892 | ||
| 14. | Ondřej Dostál | SD-SN | NI | 24,403 | ||
| 15. | Markéta Gregorová | Piráti | Greens-EFA | 23,388 | ||
| 16. | Nikola Bartůšek | Přísaha | PfE | 21,162 | ||
| 17. | Ondřej Krutílek | ODS | ECR | 20,504 | ||
| 18. | Jana Nagyová | ANO | PfE | 14,448 | ||
| 19. | Martin Hlaváček | ANO | PfE | 10,662 | ||
| 20. | Ondřej Knotek | ANO | PfE | 8,565 | ||
| 21. | Ondřej Kovařík | ANO | PfE | 4,863 | ||
| Source:[62] | ||||||
| Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size | SPOLU ECR–EPP | ANO Renew | Piráti G/EFA | STAN EPP | SPD– Trikolóra ID | Stačilo! Left | SOCDEM S&D | Svobodní NI | PaM NI | Zelení EGP | PRO NI | Others | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7–8 June 2024 | Election result | 22.3 6 | 26.1 7 | 6.2 1 | 8.7 2 | 5.7 1 | 9.6 2 | 1.9 0 | 1.8 0 | 10.3 2 | 1.6 0 | 2.2 0 | 3.9 0 | 3.8 | |
| STEM | 22–26 May 2024 | 1,623 | 21.5 6 | 23.1 6 | 9.4 2 | 10.0 3 | 9.5 2 | 8.1 2 | 2.9 0 | 2.7 0 | 4.7 0 | 1.9 0 | 1.8 0 | 4.1 0 | 1.6 |
| STEM/MARK | 20–27 May 2024 | 1,398 | 22.3 5 | 26.1 6 | 12.1 3 | 8.1 2 | 7.9 2 | 7.7 2 | 3.6 0 | 2.3 0 | 7.2 1 | 1.4 0 | 1.0 0 | 0.3 0 | 3.8 |
| Phoenix Research | 1–13 May 2024 | 1,018 | 17.5 5 | 27.4 7 | 9.9 2 | 11.5 3 | 6.2 1 | 7.0 2 | 5.0 1 | 1.3 0 | 2.2 0 | — | 4.2 0 | 7.8 1 | 9.9 |
| SANEP | 2–7 May 2024 | 1,800 | 19.8 5 | 26.7 7 | 10.6 3 | 9.9 2 | 10.1 3 | 5.9 1 | 3.7 0 | 2.9 0 | 4.8 0 | 0.5 0 | 3.2 0 | 1.9 0 | 6.9 |
| STEM/Mark | 28 Mar–8 April 2024 | 1,009 | 20.0 5 | 27.5 7 | 10.1 2 | 10.4 3 | 10.4 2 | 6.7 1 | 3.4 0 | 2.5 0 | 6.0 1 | 0.9 0 | — | 1.9 0 | 7.5 |
| Data Collect | 25 Mar 2024 | 20.9 | 27.3 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 10.9 | 7.1 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 6.4 | |
| IPSOS | 23 Feb–5 Mar 2024 | 1,517 | 21.6 | 26.3 | 11.3 | 13.4 | 7.9 | 6.1 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 4.9 | — | — | — | 4.7 |
| IPSOS | Dec 2023 | TBA | 25.2 | 26.3 | 10.0 | 12.0 | 7.7 | 6.0 | — | — | — | — | — | 12.8 | 1.1 |
| STEM/MARK | 23–28 Nov 2023 | 1,010 | 15.0 | 33.8 | 11.4 | 7.3 | 14.7 | 5.4 | 3.6 | 2.9 | — | — | — | 6.0 | 18.8 |
| 2021 parliamentary election | 8–9 Oct 2021 | – | 27.8 | 27.1 | 15.6 | 9.6 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 2.8[k] | 4.7 | 1.0 | — | 0.9 | 0.7 | |
| 2019 European election | 24–25 May 2019 | – | 21.8[l] | 21.2 | 14.0 | 11.7[m] | 9.1 | 6.9 | 4.0 | 0.7 | — | — | — | 10.6 | 0.6 |
| Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size | SPOLU ECR–EPP | PaM NI | Piráti G/EFA | STAN EPP | mimozemstani.eu NI | LŽPL NI | ANO Renew | Zelení Greens/EFA | DSZ - ZA PRÁVA ZVÍŘAT NI | SESO NI | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student election[63] | 21–22 May 2024 | 22,880 | 15.2 | 14.2 | 11.6 | 9.1 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 1.0 |