The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia has been a permanent part of the political scene for thirty years of its existence and has shown that it can work in opposition but also be responsible for developments throughout the state, said party chairman Vojtěch Filip at the beginning of the speech.
“In the last election period, for three years, we were the ones who were responsible, even though we had no one in government, for government policy,” Filip recapitulated. But according to him, a new task is ahead of the party. “To prove that when the citizens of the Czech Republic entrust their trust in the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, that they choose a new chance, a new future and a new perspective that the party brings,” says Filip.
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As the foreign exchange of the party, the chairman evaluates that they never forgot their election program, stuck to it and thus appear before the voters. “The second motto is that we are not ashamed of our thirty-year past, we are not afraid to defend what was before 89, if it was for the benefit of the citizens,” argues Filip.
The chairman mentions the preservation of the Czech identity in Europe as a fundamental value. “We do not have defectors, we do not have corruption scandals, there are no unclear property relations behind us, as there are others, and I would like to thank our members for that, this is a currency that few parties can come up with,” argues Filip.
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“Even this year, we are confidently going for success in the elections so that we can continue to work in the Chamber of Deputies,” said party deputy chairman Petr Šimůnek.
For example, according to a survey by the Median agency, the KSČM would receive six percent of the vote in May, which is only one percent more than is necessary to enter the Chamber of Deputies.
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As another plus of the party, Šimůnek mentioned the strong representation of women across the entire communist party. By the election, they will be the leaders in a total of four out of fourteen regions.
The representation of women was also evident at the introductory press conference at the beginning of the campaign. Prague will be led by Marta Semelová, the South Bohemian Region by Alena Nohavová, the Pardubice Region by Květa Matušovská and the Zlín Region by Marie Pěnčíková.
Five priorities
The five priorities of the communist campaign, designated 5P, include helping the needy, caring for children, living conditions in safety, the right to a dignified life, and nature and the environment. The KSČM wants to increase the minimum wage to at least 20,000 crowns, which now amounts to 15,200 crowns, and wants to enforce a shorter working week of 35 hours. Communists also want to “significantly tax” multinational companies and Internet giants or introduce a so-called billionaire tax.
The Communists also aim for the Czech Republic to leave the North Atlantic Alliance and to restore comprehensive relations with Russia and China. They also promote free lunches in kindergartens and primary schools, as well as free textbooks and school supplies. The program also includes the return of water resources management to the hands of regions and municipalities and the completion of nuclear power plants as part of a tender “without intentional threatening security threats”.
The KSČM won 7.76 percent of the vote in the last elections to the Chamber of Deputies and, with 15 seats, fared the worst in its post-November history. Filip said in April that the Communists did not want to fall below the 2017 result.
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