Motoristé sobě Won't Field Senate Candidates — Will Back ANO and SPD Instead

The Motoristé sobě (Motorists for Themselves) party has decided not to run in this autumn's Czech Senate elections, opting instead to back candidates from its coalition partners, ANO and SPD. The party had initially considered fielding a single Senate candidate in the Vysočina region, but ultimately dropped that plan as well.

As party leader Petr Macinka admitted in comments to Novinky, Motoristé sobě simply lacks the regional footing and prominent local figures needed to build candidate lists — the party hasn't had time to establish grassroots structures.

A Warning from the Former President

The situation has revived memories of remarks by former president Václav Klaus, with whom Macinka worked closely for many years. Back in May, Klaus told Novinky that he had advised Motoristé sobě against joining the government, urging them instead to focus on building up the party. He made a similar point in October, right after the elections in which Motoristé sobě entered the Chamber of Deputies for the first time: in his view, the party should have concentrated on its own development rather than rushing into power, since government participation forces compromises.

Macinka, who until last year served as spokesman for the Václav Klaus Institute, didn't heed his former mentor's advice at the time. The result was four ministerial portfolios and jobs for Klaus's associates at the Foreign Ministry, which Macinka himself now heads. But the party paid for this with a lack of time to build its own structures — regions are now short on activists and strong candidates.

Macinka Hits Back at Critics

Asked about Klaus's advice, the Motoristé sobě leader responded sharply, pointing out that the former president isn't even a party member and saying he's heard plenty of "recipes" over the past four years for how his party should operate. "Unfortunately, these are flawed recipes that I've seen used by unsuccessful parties," Macinka said, adding that he understands the temptation to write that Motoristé sobě lacks people and should have listened to Klaus and stayed out of government for the sake of municipal elections.

According to him, being part of the government matters far more to him than fielding a slate of candidates for municipal elections — even in the village of Černoušek, the hometown of President Petr Pavel, where Motoristé sobě will nonetheless have representation.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz