Czech Kantar poll: STAN surges as SPD barely enters parliament

The STAN movement is polling at more than 23% in Kantar's October survey for Czech Television. The SPD party gets 5.5%, clearing the 5% threshold for entering the Chamber of Deputies by the narrowest of margins. Motoristé fall short of the threshold. STAN was the only party to gain ground.

Who lost support

Compared with the August model, all the other parties lost votes. Andrej Babiš's ANO slipped by 1 percentage point. ODS was hit hardest, losing 3 percentage points. The Pirates and SPD each lost exactly one point, and Motoristé half a point.

Turnout in October would be 63.5% of citizens over 18. According to Kantar, this figure has not changed noticeably since March.

Why STAN is rising

As Czech Television reports, citing Kantar, STAN's new supporters see it as a more visible and assertive party that defends its positions better and therefore looks more promising. Voters are leaving ODS primarily because of weak leadership and a low-profile performance in opposition. For former Pirate voters, STAN's more restrained style also plays a role, while TOP 09 voters more often see STAN as a stronger party with better chances of success.

The authors of the survey point to several factors: success in the October municipal elections and a marked rise in support in the week after the government pushed through a proposal to change the funding of public media. In their assessment, STAN is increasingly taking the position of opposition leader.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz