Politician expelled from ODS launches his own movement, "MODRÁ pro jedničku," to run in Prague 1 elections

Filip Dvořák, who was expelled from the ODS party, has announced he will run in the autumn municipal elections in Prague 1 at the head of his own movement, "MODRÁ pro jedničku." He previously led the local ODS branch in the district and was expected to top the party's candidate list, but party leadership first blocked his candidacy and later expelled him altogether.

The rift stemmed from unresolved questions about the politician's assets: according to Seznam Zprávy, Dvořák inherited a fortune of 230 million crowns from his father, the origins of which he was unable to convincingly explain to the party's presidium. The situation was further complicated by public speculation linking his name to past scandals. The ODS executive board ultimately sealed the split, expelling Dvořák for damaging the party's reputation and failing to comply with decisions made by its governing bodies.

According to Dvořák himself, the name of his new movement reflects conservative values — freedom, responsibility, rule of law, order and professionalism. He says the candidate list is still being finalized. "Negotiations with potential candidates are ongoing. We have about a week left to make changes and add more names to the list. We'll be introducing our candidates and policy priorities gradually throughout the campaign," Dvořák told the ČTK news agency. The legal deadline for submitting changes expires on August 10.

Applications for the autumn elections in Prague 1 closed on Tuesday, with a total of 15 candidate lists submitted. ODS confirmed that, despite Dvořák's expulsion and the local branch's initial plans not to field a separate list, the party will still run its own team in the district. The election commission is due to decide on registering the lists on August 20.

At the same time, applications also closed for the Senate elections in the Prague 1 constituency, which covers not only the district itself but also Prague 7 and Troja. Nine candidates are vying for the seat in the upper house of parliament. The incumbent senator, Miroslava Němcová of ODS, does not intend to seek re-election. Among the contenders are Prague 7 mayor Jan Čižinský ("Praha sobě"), publisher Jiří Padevět (STAN), Prague 1 councillor Vojtěch Ryvola (GEN), playwright Jan Štern ("Jsme tým") and, likely, Prague 1 councillor Karel Grabein Procházka of the ANO movement. The first round of the Senate election will take place alongside the municipal elections on October 9 and 10.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz