Battle for the Senate Speaker's Chair: Vystrčil Could Be Ousted by STAN-Kuba Alliance

Czech Senate Speaker Miloš Vystrčil (ODS) may lose his post after October's elections to the upper house of parliament. By his own admission, he will only seek re-election if his senatorial club nominates him and guarantees him support. "First we need to wait for the Senate election results. If our club nominates me for the chairmanship and I have support, I will fight for the position," Vystrčil said.

An Unwritten Rule Under Threat

Traditionally, the Senate chairmanship goes to a representative of the party with the largest senatorial club. This convention has been broken only once — at the very start of the chamber's existence, when Petr Pithart of the Christian Democratic Union took the helm with broad cross-party backing. This year the rule could be broken for a second time, depending on how the votes fall.

The joint ODS–TOP 09 club currently has 30 members, nine of whom are running for re-election this year. But even the remaining 21 seats aren't guaranteed: some sitting senators may defect to "Our Region" ("Naše Čechy"), the movement led by South Bohemian Governor Martin Kuba, who makes no secret of his plan to form his own Senate club after the elections. South Bohemian senators Zbyněk Sikora and Tomáš Fiala have already announced they are leaving ODS — the latter is defending his mandate this year and, according to Vystrčil, is ready to back him for the chairmanship.

The Threat from STAN

If ODS and TOP 09 lose their status as the largest club, their partners' attitude toward keeping Vystrčil in office could shift. Civic Democrats are particularly wary of STAN, which national opinion polls currently show polling higher than ODS.

Yet it is STAN — the "mayors' party" — that stands to lose the most: it currently holds 11 of 18 seats up for grabs and is running candidates in 14 districts. Under the most optimistic (and widely considered unlikely) scenario, the party could expand its representation to 21 seats. For the Senate chairmanship, STAN might put forward, for example, former European Affairs Minister Martin Dvořák, who is running in Hradec Králové. He says he considers the current speaker a competent leader of the chamber, but if the unwritten rule holds and the nomination comes from the strongest club, the outcome remains uncertain.

ANO's Ambitions

In theory, the ANO movement could emerge as the largest Senate club after the October vote — it currently holds 15 seats, though only one of its senators is up for re-election. Club chair Jana Mračková Vildumcová declined to comment on the party's strategy. Fellow club member Robert Šlachta (of the Oath movement) confirmed that no candidate for the chairmanship has been discussed yet, but stressed: "Change is overdue. It would be good to see someone other than Mr. Vystrčil at the helm."

ANO deputy leader Radek Vondráček also confirmed there is no clear strategy yet but expressed a wish to replace the chamber's leadership and "bring in some fresh air." Off the record, however, ANO senators admit that even with stronger results, the party is unlikely to secure the chairmanship, since opposition parties appear set to retain the upper hand in the 81-seat Senate.

ODS senatorial club chairman Zdeněk Nytra noted that if the strongest club's candidate stood no real chance of winning, it would make little sense not to field an alternative. Christian Democrat club chairman Josef Klement recalled that when Pithart was elected, his party didn't have the largest club either, but a consensus formed around his candidacy. There is also discussion of what post Christian Democrat leader Jan Grolich, who is running in the Vyškov district, might take in the new Senate — possibly the position of deputy speaker.

The first round of Senate elections will take place on October 9–10, with the runoff a week later.

Source: novinky.cz