ODS Nominates Film Producer with No Political Experience for Brno Mayor

The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) has nominated film producer Kamila Zlatuška as its candidate for mayor of Brno in the upcoming municipal elections. She will lead the joint ODS–TOP 09 list in the Czech Republic's second-largest city as the party tries to hold on to the top job at city hall.

The decision came as a surprise to many members of the Brno ODS, who had long assumed that the incumbent mayor, Markéta Vaňková, would stay on despite health issues after eight years leading the city. However, back in spring, Vaňková herself put Zlatuška forward as her successor.

A Film Producer with No Political Background

The move is all the more surprising given that the acclaimed producer has no prior political experience — unlike her father, Jiří Zlatuška, former rector of Masaryk University and a former MP for the ANO movement.

Zlatuška first rose to prominence with the series "Fledglings" (Ptáčata), about a segregated Roma class at a Brno school, where she worked as a screenwriter. At Czech public television, she also produced the series "8th" (8. patro) and "Golden Youth" (Zlatá mládež). After leaving television, she founded the internationally recognised Serial Killer festival, from which she has now withdrawn following her nomination.

In 2020, Zlatuška also launched an educational platform called the Television Institute. She additionally chairs the board of trustees of Vesna, the Brno-based Women's Educational Institute. Forbes magazine regularly ranks her among the most influential women in the Czech Republic.

The Party's Reputation Problems

According to Zlatuška herself, she was prompted to run by the current state of affairs on the political scene. At the same time, she rejects suggestions that her name is being used by behind-the-scenes players in the Brno ODS to launder the party's reputation.

The local branch's image has been tarnished by a string of scandals, including a bitcoin affair that brought down long-serving regional party leader and former Justice Minister Pavel Blažek, as well as other cases linked to schemes involving city-owned housing.

Whether ODS manages to hold on to the Brno mayor's post will largely depend on what matters more to voters — the popularity of local political figures or the parties' national-level ratings.

Read also: Brno: what to see and where to go

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz