News server Romea.cz. Everything about Roma in one place

News server Romea.cz. Everything about Roma in one place

Czech Senate elections: Some anti-Romani candidates win, some lose

16 October 2016
3 minute read

The Czech Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) have won this year’s Senate elections. Candidates with that party’s support have won in nine precincts.

The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) won four Senate seats, ANO will have three new senators, and the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) will just have two, as will Severočeši.cz. Other groups won single seats.

Elected Senators:

1 Karlovy Vary: Jan Horník (STAN)
4 Most: Alena Dernerová (S.cz)
7 Plzeň-město: Václav Chaloupek (OPAT)
10 Český Krumlov: Tomáš Jirsa (ODS)
13 Tábor: Jaroslav Větrovský (ANO)
16 Beroun: Jiří Oberfalzer (ODS)
19 Praha 11: Ladislav Kos (KDUSZHPP)
22 Praha 10: Renata Chmelová (KDUPirDP)
25 Praha 6: Jiří Růžička (TOP+STAN)
28 Mělník: Petr Holeček (STAN)
31 Ústí nad Labem: Jaroslav Doubrava (S.cz)
34 Liberec: Michael Canov (STANSLK)
37 Jičín: Tomáš Czernin (TOP+STAN)
40 Kutná Hora: Jaromír Strnad (ČSSD)
43 Pardubice: Miluše Horská (KDUNestr)
46 Ústí nad Orlicí: Petr Šilar (KDU-ČSL)
49 Blansko: Jaromíra Vítková (KDU-ČSL)
52 Jihlava: Miloš Vystrčil (ODSSNKSs)
55 Brno-město: Jan Žaloudík (ČSSD)
58 Brno-město: Jiří Dušek (ANO)
61 Olomouc: Lumír Kantor (KDU-ČSL)
64 Bruntál: Ladislav Václavec (ANO)
67 Nový Jičín: Petr Orel (KDUČSLSZ)
70 Ostrava-město: Zdeněk Nytra (NK)
73 Frýdek-Místek: Jiří Cieńciała (OSNez)
76 Kroměříž: Šárka Jelínková (KDU-ČSL)
79 Hodonín: Anna Hubáčková (KDU-ČSL)

Of the candidates whom Romea.cz has followed in close detail because of their anti-Romani statements, the only one who succeeded was Senator Jaroslav Doubrava (Severočeši.cz) in Ústí nad Labem, beating the ANO movement’s candidate, František Holešovský, with 6 533 votes, or 57.89 %. Liana Janáčková, who has long attacked Romani people, lost in Ostrava against the independent candidate Zdeněk Nytra, who won 6 058 votes (51.81 %).

In the contest between two Senators for the district of Most, both of whom made anti-Romani remarks before the elections, current Senator Alena Dernerová (Severočeši.cz) won. She defeated the former ice hockey player and one-time deputy Jiří Šlégr (ČSSD), winning 6 844 votes (70.81 %).

In Pardubice, on the other hand, independent Senator Miluše Horská, the vice-chair of the Senate and a candidate for the KDU-ČSL who has expressed support for buying the pig farm now on the site of the former “Gypsy Camp” at Lety by Písek in order to make the site dignified, won re-election overwhelmingly. Her 9 069 votes (70,07 %) defeated the ANO movement candidate, Jaroslav Menšik.

Surprisingly, Czech Senator Zdeněk Škromach (ČSSD), who campaigned saying he is against receiving refugees, lost his seat. In the Hodonín district he won just 6 155 votes, losting to the candidate for KDU-ČSL, Anna Hubáčková, who won 13 348 hlasů (68.44 %).

Very low turnout

Overall the second round of the Senate elections was marked by very low turnout. Just 15. 4 % of the electorate cast ballots.

In localities where a larger percentage of Romani peple reside, news server Romea.cz has learned that voter turnout was even lower. For example, at the Chanov housing estate in Most, of 835 voters, only seven people cast ballots, a turnout of less than 1 %.

All seven voters chose Senator Dernerová. Turnout was similar at the Janov housing estate in Litvínov.

In voting precinct number 3 at Janov only six people cast ballots, while in voting precinct number 4 only eight voters did so. Voter turnout there was 1.5 %.

In Ostrava-Přívoz, a voting precinct where many Romani voters are registered, only nine voters out of 699 cast ballots (voter turnout of 1.29 %). As far as voting precincts overall are concerned, the lowest voter turnouts in the country were in Most, Ostrava, and Ústí nad Labem.

Help us share the news about Romas
Trending now icon