Vít Rakušan lost already in the third round of the secret election of the deputy speaker of the Czech Chamber. The coalition refuses to give him votes despite the agreement on the post for the STAN movement.
Even on the third attempt, the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic did not elect Vít Rakušan, the chairman of the opposition movement Starostovia a náznésí (STAN), as the deputy chairman of the lower house of the parliament. He received 67 votes in a secret ballot, which is significantly less than the 83 needed to be elected. The information was brought by the Novinky.cz portal.
- For the third time, the Chamber of Deputies did not elect Vít Rakušan as the deputy speaker of the Chamber.
- The Austrian got sixty-seven votes in a secret ballot, he needed at least eighty-three.
- According to the agreement, the ruling coalition leaves the last vice presidential post to the STAN movement.
- Vít Rakušan considers the lack of representation of the third largest party in the leadership unacceptable.
- The chairman of the chamber is Tomio Okamura, the vice-chairmen are Nacher, Barták and Skopeček.
The Austrian’s candidacy faces opposition, especially from the ruling coalition, which, according to the agreement, is supposed to assign the last vacant post of the deputy speaker of the House to the nominee of the STAN movement. Despite this, it seems that the MPs of the coalition are not willing to support his candidacy.
Tension in the House
Vít Rakušan called the situation, when the third largest party in the chamber is not represented in the leadership, as unfavorable for the parliamentary culture. However, according to his words, he expected such a voting result. “The ruling coalition is simply afraid of a prominent opposition politician in the leadership of the chamber. It is uncomfortable for them and they project this fear into their voting,” he declared.
In the next few days, the second round of the election should take place, in which the Austrian will again be the only candidate. However, his chances of being elected remain questionable, as support from coalition MPs is uncertain.
The Chamber of Deputies has four vice-presidents in this election period. So far, Patrik Nacher (ANO), Jiří Barták (Motoristi sebe) and Jan Skopeček (ODS) have been elected to this position. SPD leader Tomio Okamura has been the Speaker of the House since November. The STAN movement, which is one of the largest opposition entities, continues to remain without representation in the leadership of the lower house of the parliament.
