Urbanová of STAN: We want to lead the government, not the opposition

According to the latest Median poll, the STAN movement has climbed to 15% voter support, overtaking the ODS, which stands at 12%. Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Barbora Urbanová, who took over the post in June from STAN leader Vít Rakušan, spoke about the party's ambitions in an interview.

According to her, what matters more than simply overtaking the ODS is the movement's steady rise in the polls. “We don't want to be the leaders of the opposition — we want to be the leaders of the next government,” Urbanová said, stressing that STAN intends to offer a more appealing alternative not only to its own supporters but also to voters currently backing ANO.

From 3% to 15% in a few years

Urbanová recalled that when Vít Rakušan took over the party's leadership in 2019, its support stood at just 3-5%. Since then, STAN has settled into the 10-15% range, and, in the deputy speaker's view, no other opposition leader has managed such growth. She said there are no plans to change the party's leadership — the movement's next congress will take place next year, but “there are no calls to replace the leader.”

Commenting on polls showing a 20-point gap between ANO and the opposition, Urbanová said the election will be won by whoever manages to win over ANO voters — and, in her view, Rakušan is best suited for that role. She also made a wry remark about one poll in which former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš was named the second most popular opposition leader, saying this shows that even his own supporters don't expect real change from him.

Work on the rape law

Urbanová also mentioned her long-standing campaign to toughen legislation on rape cases and to change the very definition of the crime as part of an amendment to the Criminal Code. According to Czech Radio, the number of actual (non-suspended) sentences in such cases has risen over the past two years — Urbanová called this “the best feeling” after years of work toward that goal.

Obstruction and budget rules

On Tuesday, the Chamber of Deputies opens a session at which the ruling coalition intends to override the president's veto of the loosened budget rules. Urbanová confirmed that the opposition will continue its obstruction tactics, arguing that the coalition ended the third-reading debate too early — a point that will form part of a constitutional complaint if government deputies vote for the law again.

At the same time, Urbanová acknowledged a certain contradiction: STAN recently supported an amendment to the chamber's rules of procedure limiting deputies' speaking time and the ability to drag out debates. She said this should bring parliamentary debate back to its normal format — seeking compromise at the negotiating table rather than confrontation, as happened, for example, during votes on the electronic sales records system (EET) or pension reform.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz