The race for Prague’s mayoral seat is taking shape as the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party today announced Milan Urban as its candidate ahead of municipal and senate elections this October. [[1]] The selection of Urban, currently a Prague city council member, follows a contentious internal review of the party’s initial nomination process, recently detailed by Forum24. This sets the stage for a perhaps disruptive challenge to the current political order in the Czech capital, where several othre candidates have already entered the fray.
Milan Urban has been named the candidate for Prague mayor by the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, ahead of municipal and senate elections scheduled for October 9 and 10. The announcement follows a re-run of the party’s regional conference after initial results were disputed.
Urban, currently the head of the SPD’s club in the Prague city council, aims to challenge the current political landscape in the Czech capital. He stated, “I am ready to lead SPD back to the Prague Magistrate. Our task is to protect the people of Prague from the mischief of progressives. We want a Prague that is free, rich for its inhabitants, clean, fun and safe.”
Josef Nerušil will continue as chairman of the Prague branch of the SPD, according to a statement released following the conference. Nerušil also announced the party intends to quickly finalize its candidate lists for all city districts. “We want to have clarity about the candidates in all city parts as soon as possible,” he said.
The party’s leadership also includes Pavel Frydrych, chairman of the control committee of the Prague 15 council; Vladimíra Bondarenková, a council member for Prague 13; Klára Cingrošová, Jiří Fořt, and Vítězslav Novák, a council member for Prague 8.
The re-run of the regional conference was prompted by questions surrounding the fairness of the initial vote held in late November, as reported by Forum24. Some party members raised concerns about irregularities in the process.
Urban previously led the SPD’s Prague campaign in 2022, when the party ran in coalition with Trikolora, the PES movement, and independent candidates. That year, the coalition secured 5.2% of the vote, earning them three seats in the 65-member city council. Urban, Nerušil, and Zdeněk Seidl were elected to represent the coalition.
Nerušil indicated the SPD is open to renewing its partnerships with the same groups for the upcoming elections. “In the coming days, we will invite them to talks about joint candidates,” he stated. This move suggests the SPD is seeking to build on previous alliances to maximize its electoral reach.
Several other parties have already announced their candidates for Prague’s mayoral race. Tomáš Portlík, the chairman of the Spolu club in the city council and first vice-chairman of the ODS party, will lead the ODS campaign. The Pirate Party has nominated economist Tereza Nislerová, a council member for Prague 4, as its candidate for mayor, while Petr Hlaváček is vying for the top spot within the STAN party. Tomáš Kaplan will lead the Christian Democrats, and Adam Scheinherr will head the Prahy Sobě party.
