Investor Suggests Stripping Pensioners of Voting Rights — Then Apologizes After Backlash

Václav Dejčmar, co-owner of the investment group RSJ and a philanthropist, has sparked outrage after proposing to restrict voting rights for elderly Czechs, arguing that people should lose the right to vote during the final 18 years of their lives. Following a wave of criticism on social media, the investor apologized for his remarks.

Dejčmar floated the idea on the Seznam Zprávy podcast "Ve vatě," when asked what society might look like once the majority of the population is over 60 and many people live to be a hundred. "The world would be fine if these people didn't vote, but unfortunately, they do," he said. He compared the idea to excluding children under 18 from elections and suggested applying a similar principle to the last 18 years of a person's life, based on average life expectancy.

According to Dejčmar, older voters tend to be guided by their own fears and pension-related interests rather than concern for the country's future.

Public reaction and apology

The remarks triggered sharp criticism online. The Czech Pensioners' Council also weighed in, calling the exclusion of part of society from the electoral process discriminatory and unacceptable in a democratic society.

"The Czech Pensioners' Council considers it its duty to speak out firmly against statements that question the equality of citizens based on age. Age alone does not explain a person's political views," the organization said, adding that the country needs cooperation, tolerance and mutual understanding rather than a war between generations.

Dejčmar later admitted that his proposal was completely unrealistic from a legal, human and political standpoint. "People laughed at it. There are topics you shouldn't joke about, and this is one of them," he said, apologizing for the emotions his words had stirred up.

Not his first controversial statement

According to the Czech Statistical Office, 2.256 million people over the age of 65 lived in the country in 2024 — more than a fifth of the population. The share of this age group is growing, and some forecasts suggest the number of elderly people in Czechia could rise by a third by 2050, partly due to falling birth rates.

This isn't the first time Dejčmar has made headlines with a provocative claim: three years ago, he argued that Czechia should be "abolished" and replaced with a new, truly successful country called "Bohemia."

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz