Who could inherit Turk's post in Brussels after the elections? It won't be the nobility, the ex-minister is in the running

Politicians who are currently serving as MEPs are also running for a seat in the parliamentary elections. If these people are elected to the lower house of Parliament, their EU position will automatically cease. Typical examples are the Central Bohemian leader of the Motorists Filip Turek or the head of the KSČM Kateřina Konečná (for Stačilo!). Who could replace them in Brussels?

In 2024, the Oath together with the Motorists formed a coalition for the European elections. The aforementioned tandem eventually became the dark horse of the elections. The dual coalition ended up in third place and with a result of 10.26 percent achieved two mandates. Filip Turek, as the non-party leader of the candidate list, received over 150 thousand preferential votes, and the vice-chairman of the Oath Nikola Bartůšek also became an MEP.

However, the two groups broke up at the beginning of this year. It will be all the more interesting to see who will replace Turek in Brussels if the patron of the Motorists becomes a Czech MEP. The first replacement after the European elections was the head of the Oath Robert Šlachta, who jumped up from the bottom of the candidate list thanks to preferential votes.

The leader of Přísaha, who is also running for the Chamber of Deputies, is not interested in a mandate as an MEP. He officially resigned from the position of substitute at the beginning of this year. Next in line is Antonín Staněk (Přísaha) – a former member of the ČSSD, who served as Minister of Culture in the second government of Andrej Babiš (ANO) between 2018 and 2019.

Turek: I still have good ties to Přísaha

Staněk is running in the Chamber of Deputies as the leader of Přísaha in the Olomouc region. It should be noted that while Motoristé exceeded five percent in the latest pre-election polls, Přísaha has been below this threshold for a long time. In the event of Motoristé's success and Přísaha's failure, according to information from CNN Prima NEWS, Staněk could be the one to replace Turek in the European Parliament.

“We have sort of agreed that he should continue on my agenda,” Turek confirmed to CNN Prima NEWS. “I would have liked him to continue with my accredited parliamentary assistant on the work related to the Green Deal or the lifting of the ban on cars with combustion engines. It would have been a great shame if it had not continued,” he added.

Turek also added his impression that Staněk is in tune with his EU priorities. "I will believe that he will sit in Patriots and that he will continue my agendas. I still have good ties to Přísah. I would say that I also have friendly relations. I will wish Mr. Associate Professor Staněk good luck," said the honorary president of Motorists.

Šlachta criticized pre-election polls

Šlachta's relations with Motorists can be described as rather cold. This may also be due to Turk's statement that "Přísah will definitely not enter the Chamber of Deputies this year". Šlachta, on the other hand, believes in a result above five percent. In an interview for CNN Prima NEWS, he, among other things, sharply criticized pre-election polls, especially the STEM company.

If the MEP mandate went to Staněk, Šlachta confirmed that he would come to Brussels with a new team associated with Přísahá. In the event of Přísahá’s success in the parliamentary elections – if Šlachta and Staněk became members of the lower house – the next on the waiting list would be the leader of Motorists Petr Macinka. The MEP mandate could thus theoretically belong to him if, unlike Turk and Staněk, he did not succeed.

Turk was amused by such an idea. “I love bizarre situations. When Petr was in my office (in Brussels), he really cursed that he did not like it there. So, as a friend, I would not wish this on him,” he mentioned with exaggeration at the end of the interview.

Who can replace Konečná?

If Kateřina Konečná were to return to the Czech Parliament after years, her replacement could be Jana Turoňová, associated with the Svatopluk association. However, she is listed in the elections as the leader of the Stačilo! movement in the South Bohemian Region. If she were to succeed, then the next in line would be the vice-chairman of the KSČM, Milan Krajča.

“She is not running this year, and I also assume that Jana Turoňová will make it to the lower house of Parliament,” Konečná confirmed to CNN Prima NEWS. If Turoňová were unsuccessful, she would replace Konečná in the European Parliament. Konečná has not yet discussed possible changes in assistants or other personnel shifts within the movement.

Jana Turoňová is a former member of SOCDEM who ran for the position of chairwoman in 2021, but ultimately withdrew her candidacy. In September, she was elected as a South Bohemian representative as a non-party member for Stačilo!. Milan Krajča chaired the Communist Youth Union. He ran unsuccessfully for the Prague City Council several times. On social media, he presents himself as a supporter of communist ideology.

Source: CNN Prima