SPD to discuss campaign for September regional and senate elections

photo: spd.cz

On 23 June the SPD will hold a national assembly in Prague to discuss the programme and form of the campaign for the September elections to the regional assemblies and the Senate. We are advocating for efficient spending of funds from regional budgets for the benefit of citizens and to ensure their safety, the fight against corruption, affordable healthcare, quality education and public transport. The ruling coalition is violating the Rules of Procedure of the Chamber of Deputies and preventing opposition Members of Parliament from speaking in the debate in its efforts to push through correspondence voting from abroad at any cost. This is an attack on the very essence of parliamentary democracy! The prices of goods and services continue to rise, particularly in the areas of food and housing. The rising prices are the result of the incompetent economic policy of the Fial government and its increase in indirect taxes. The EU is bullying with draconian sanctions and fines for legitimate defences against illegal migration.

1. On 23 June the SPD will hold a national assembly in Prague to discuss the programme and form of the campaign for the September elections to the regional assemblies and the Senate. We are advocating for the effective spending of funds from regional budgets for the benefit of citizens and to ensure their safety, the fight against corruption, affordable healthcare, quality education, social care and public transport.</strong>

On 23 June 2024, the SPD presidium will convene a national assembly in Prague, where we will finalize the form and content of the hot phase of the campaign for the regional and Senate elections with the election staffs. The regional elections are the second most important elections after the elections to the Chamber of Deputies. Our programmatic priorities include ensuring security, fighting corruption, affordable health care, social care and enough places for the elderly in retirement homes, support for housing construction, quality education, repair of class II and III roads and transport services. The SPD movement has ambitions to increase the current number of representatives in all regional councils, which have responsibility for these areas within local government and delegated powers, with each region having its own specificities. The SPD movement will promote transparency and efficient spending of taxpayers' money to improve the quality of life of our citizens in all areas within the regions.

2. The ruling coalition is violating the Rules of Procedure of the Chamber of Deputies and preventing opposition MPs from speaking in the debate in its efforts to push through the postal vote from abroad at any cost. This is an attack on the very essence of parliamentary democracy!</strong>

Last week, the ruling five-party coalition (ODS, KDU-ČSL, TOP 09, Pirates and STAN) pushed through the votes of its MPs in the Chamber of Deputies to shorten the debate and hold a firm vote on the final form of the Election Administration Act (on the so-called correspondence voting from abroad) at an extraordinary meeting this Friday, 21 June 2024 at 1 pm. According to the SPD, this is a clear violation of the Rules of Procedure of the Chamber of Deputies, as a number of our duly registered Members will not be allowed to speak at all during the debate on this item. This is an attack by the ruling coalition on the very essence of parliamentary democracy! Our arguments remain permanently unchanged. Correspondence voting is an attack on the freedom, regularity and legitimacy of elections, as well as the possibility of manipulation of individual votes. The government's proposal is also fundamentally at odds with the Czech Constitution, as it violates the basic principles of the right to vote, in particular equality, directness and secrecy. If this government proposal comes into force, we will want to take an active part in drafting and submitting a motion for its annulment to the Constitutional Court.

3. Prices of goods and services continue to rise, especially in food and housing. The rising prices are the result of the incompetent economic policy of the Fial government and the increase in indirect taxes by the government.</strong>

The price of goods and services in the Czech Republic continues to rise, even though the representatives of the Fial government falsely speak of victory over inflation. Yet, year-on-year in May, average prices rose by almost 3 % (specifically by 2.6 %). Basic foodstuffs, such as butter and potatoes, or soft drinks became more expensive than average on a month-on-month basis. The prices of housing costs again rose the most year-on-year, with rent, water, sewerage and electricity rising by more than 10 %. On a month-on-month basis, and for some time now, prices of services, especially accommodation and food, have been rising. The year-on-year inflation rate in the catering and accommodation sector has even reached 7.8 %, threatening the prosperity and existence of trades and jobs in these sectors. This situation is clearly due to the significant increase in indirect taxes by the Fial government in the so-called consolidation package. Our economic performance, as measured by gross domestic product, is the only EU Member State where it is lower than before the outbreak of the epidemic. The Czech national debt is also growing enormously and steadily. The SPD movement has repeatedly presented its concrete solutions and programme proposals in the area of economic, economic and tax policy, and our ambition is to implement them through our experts in the future government of the Czech Republic.

4. The EU bullies with draconian sanctions and fines for legitimate defences against illegal migration.</strong>

According to last week's ruling by the Court of Justice of the EU, Hungary must pay €200 million (roughly CZK 5 billion) to the EU budget, plus €1 million for each day of delay if it fails to comply with the ruling, for detaining illegal migrants and asylum seekers and placing them in so-called transit zones at the border, allegedly in violation of EU law. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called the ruling outrageous and unacceptable, saying Hungary will not give in to financial blackmail from the EU. This judgment follows complaints from illegal migrants from Afghanistan and Iran, who were not granted asylum by Hungary and were detained for illegally crossing the border - and from a safe country (Serbia). This shows in practice the sheer harmfulness of EU migration policy, legislation and practice, which encourages mass migration to Europe at the expense of Member States and their security. The SPD supports the principled positions of Hungary and Prime Minister Orbán on matters of mass migration to Europe and we refuse to respect and comply with the EU Migration Pact.

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