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Summary for: SPD calls for deep review after losing two-thirds of its local seatsSPD cannot describe its municipal election results as a success and needs a thorough internal review, deputy leader Radim Fiala said Sunday after the governing party lost roughly two-thirds of its council seats.
Candidates nominated by Freedom and Direct Democracy, known by its Czech abbreviation SPD, won 166 seats, compared with 492 in 2022.
Speaking to CNN Prima News, Fiala said the party would commission external analyses and convene a national conference where its leadership would answer for the results.
Losses bring SPD back to its 2018 level
“This calls for a major, in-depth analysis and serious reflection, because I certainly cannot describe it as a success,” Fiala said. The findings would guide the party’s strategy for future elections, with self-reflection needed at every level of leadership.
The result leaves SPD close to its performance in 2018, when it first contested municipal elections and secured 161 council seats.
Its setbacks were particularly pronounced in regional capitals. Candidate lists featuring SPD won representation in all 13 in 2022, including Prague. This year, the party retained a presence in only six, matching its 2018 result.
No SPD candidates reach Senate runoffs
Party chairman Tomio Okamura offered a different assessment Saturday, saying the results confirmed SPD’s nationwide support of around 8 percent.
He acknowledged, however, that the party had failed to meet its expectation of advancing at least one candidate to the second round of Senate elections.
SPD will discuss its approach to the runoffs with governing coalition partner ANO. Voting for the remaining 22 Senate seats takes place Oct. 16–17, after five candidates from other parties won outright in the first round.
