South Bohemian ODS Braces for Showdown with Ex-Governor Kuba's Movement

The South Bohemian regional branch of the ODS party is gearing up for its first pre-election clash with the "Naše Chechia" (Our Czechia) movement, led by Martin Kuba — the former deputy chairman of ODS and now the region's popular governor. This was revealed by Jan Teplý, ODS's lead candidate in České Budějovice and the party's nominee for mayor, in the podcast "Ptám se já."

According to Teplý, the crisis triggered by Kuba's departure last year, along with his many supporters, ultimately worked in the party's favor. ODS now hopes to win over both former and new voters in this autumn's municipal elections.

Kuba Took a Third of the Party With Him

When Martin Kuba left ODS, he brought along roughly a third of the South Bohemian party organization, along with most of the regional and Budějovice councillors. Since 2020, he has served as the region's governor, and during that time — according to observers — he has built up what looks like an almost unshakeable political position. In the last regional elections, still running under the ODS banner, he garnered over 47% of the vote.

The new leader of ODS in Budějovice, Jan Teplý, has drawn a sharp line between himself and the governor's movement, describing "Naše Chechia" as essentially a "second ANO" — a reference to Andrej Babiš's party.

Business Backing and a Family Rift

Kuba has also secured backing from several influential local businessmen — including, notably, Milan Teplý, owner of the Madeta company and father of the current ODS leader in Budějovice. Milan Teplý had previously financed the Civic Democrats, but after Kuba's departure decided to throw his support behind "Naše Chechia" instead.

This autumn's municipal and Senate elections will be the first major test for Kuba's movement. All eyes are on South Bohemia, where ODS is determined to prove it can reclaim lost ground and challenge its former party colleague head-on.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz