The Civic Democrats (ODS), the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and TOP 09 will run together in four regions in the September regional elections, as they have formed a joint list of candidates in the Central Bohemia, Liberec, South Moravia and Moravia-Silesia regions.
In eight other regions, at least two of the three coalition parties have agreed to cooperate. Only in the Zlin Region will each of them be on a different list of candidates.
The three parties signed a coalition agreement for the regional elections in the South Moravian Region in February. The joint list of candidates will be headed by incumbent Governor Jan Grolich (KDU-CSL), which came second in the regional elections four years ago. The election was won by ANO, which is likely to be the biggest rival again this year.
In the Moravia-Silesia Region, ODS ran last time in coalition with TOP 09, winning 10 seats, while the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), running independently, had seven. This year, the three parties will go to the polls together.
This will also be the first time that Spolu will go to the regional elections in the Liberec Region. Four years ago, ODS ran independently, while the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and TOP 09 formed the Together for the Liberec Region list.
ODS, KDU-CSL and TOP 09 are also running in coalition in Central Bohemia, led by Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Jan Skopecek and Pavel Pavlik (both ODS).
In the Plzen Region, ODS has agreed to cooperate with TOP 09 and independent mayors, just as it did four years ago. The Christian Democrats have decided to run in a new entity called For Our Region.
ODS and TOP 09 are running together in the Karlovy Vary Region, a change from the elections four years ago, when ODS ran with the Christian Democrats, while TOP 09 ran in coalition with the Mayors. But in the end, those two lists formed a coalition that has governed the region for the last four years.
In the Usti nad Labem Region, members of KDU-CSL will be on the ODS candidate list in September. Karel Krejza, chairman of the regional ODS association, said the model had proved successful in previous elections. TOP 09 will remain a part of the Allies for the Region grouping, in which it sat for the last regional assembly term.
In the Hradec Kralove Region, the coalition of ODS and the East Bohemians will this year be completed by the Christian Democrats, while the Mayors and Independents (STAN) have left the coalition.
In the Pardubice Region, ODS and TOP 09 have formed a coalition, while the Christian Democrats traditionally run as the leading part of the Coalition for the Pardubice Region.
The Civic Democrats in Vysocina are going to the elections with Mayors for Citizens and TOP 09.
The political grouping Allies-Coalition for the Olomouc Region, which includes the KDU-CSL and TOP 09, has been operating in the Olomouc Region for a long time. ODS will run independently.
The Zlin Civic Democrats will also run separately. “We did not consider a joint list of candidates at all. Neither the ODS nor the KDU-CSL ever discussed it and we went our separate ways as always,” said Jiri Cunek (KDU-CSL), the mayor of Vsetin.
