Czech Republic: Nine Romani men and women running for or with Green Party in early parliamentary elections

A total of nine Romani men and women will be running for the lower house in the early elections for the Green Party (Strana Zelených – SZ). Two are Green Party members, while the rest are running as part of the party’s collaboration with the Equal Opportunities Party (Strana rovných příležitostí – SRP). News server Romea.cz will be gradually publishing a series of interviews with these particular candidates.

Green Party chair Ondřej Liška said the move is about bringing the famous slogan "black, white, together we fight" ("černí, bílí spojme síly") into politics. "We don’t do politics for Romani people, but with them. Their running for office is the only way to achieve equality in society. That will never be achieved unless Romani people participate in decision-making in the Government and in Parliament," Liška told news server Romea.cz. 

Romani candidates running directly for the Green Party are Lucie Horváthová in the Pardubice Region and David Tišer in the Plzeň Region. Those featured on the Green Party’s candidate list on behalf of the SRP are the famous athlete and boxer Stanislav Tišer in Prague, Antonie Burianská and Elena Gorolová in the Moravian-Silesian Region, Jozef Miker and Štefan Tišer (SRP chair) in the Ústí Region, Čeněk Růžička (SRP vice-chair) in the Hradec Region, and Emílie Horáčková in the Liberec Region.

"I am getting into politics so the voice of Romani people can be better heard and so I can influence matters concerning majority-minority coexistence for the better. I believe that if I become a politician, people from the majority society will take me more seriously," Horáčková, who is fourth on the candidate list in Liberec Region, told news server Romea.cz.

Lucie Horváthová, who first ran for the lower house in 2006 for the Green Party, considers it very important to be politically engaged. "I have never been indifferent to what is going on in society, I want to change things for the better," she told news server Romea.cz when asked why she is running. 

What does she think of the fact that nine Romani people total are running for the Greens? "Seriously? I didn’t know that. That’s just brilliant. The Greens are the only political party that thinks about everyone," said Horváthová, who is eighth on the candidate list in Pardubice Region.