Freedom and Direct Democracy

Freedom and Direct Democracy (Czech: Svoboda a přímá demokracie, SPD) is a hard Eurosceptic,[6] anti-immigration,[7] pro-direct democracy[4][5] political party in the Czech Republic. The party holds 20 seats in the Czech Chamber of Deputies.

Freedom and Direct Democracy

Svoboda a přímá demokracie
LeaderTomio Okamura
Deputy LeadersRadim Fiala
Jaroslav Holík
Radek Rozvoral
Radovan Vích
Founded5 May 2015 (2015-05-05)
Split fromDawn of Direct Democracy
HeadquartersRytířská 6, Prague[1]
NewspaperNa vlastní oči[2]
Membership5,799[3]
IdeologyDirect democracy[4][5]
Hard Euroscepticism[6]
Anti-immigration[7]
Anti-Islam[8]
Right-wing populism[4][9]
Czech nationalism[10][11]
Political positionRight-wing[12][13] to
far-right[14][15][16][17]
European affiliationIdentity and Democracy Party
European Parliament groupIdentity and Democracy
Colours     Blue
Chamber of Deputies
19 / 200
Senate
0 / 81
European Parliament
2 / 21
Regional councils
18 / 675
Governors of the regions
0 / 13
Local councils
155 / 62,300
Website
http://www.spd.cz/

History

The party was founded in May 2015 by Tomio Okamura and Radim Fiala after a number of MPs split from the parliamentary group of Dawn of Direct Democracy. Since the party didn't exist before the Czech legislative election 2013, the then 8 parliament members from this party were officially called "Independents" until the 2017 Czech legislative election. Following that election, the party now holds 22 seats in the Czech Chamber of Deputies.

Freedom and Direct Democracy is named after the European Parliament Eurosceptic political group Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy.[18][19][20] The party has links with Marine Le Pen's National Front which is a member of the Europe of Nations and Freedom, a separate Eurosceptic political group in the European Parliament[21] and Marine Le Pen endorsed SPD before the 2017 Czech legislative election.[22]

In December 2017, SPD hosted a conference of the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom in Prague, with parties such as the French National Front, Dutch Party for Freedom, Freedom Party of Austria and Lega Nord of Italy.[23]

In 2019, following the European Parliament elections, the SPD entered the European Parliament with two MEPs, who sit with the Identity and Democracy group.[24]

In July 2020, SPD MP Tereza Hyťhová defected to become the third MP for the Tricolour Citizens' Movement.[25]

Policies

The SPD broadly describes itself as a "patriotic and democratic movement" on its website and party program.[26]

The party is opposed to Czech membership of the European Union and calls for the Czech Republic to leave the bloc. The party also wants to pursue a more restrictive immigration policy, particularly towards immigration from Islamic nations, and rejects multiculturalism. It is strongly opposed to illegal immigration and the EU's policy of migrant quotas which it argues will lead to the "Islamization" of Europe.[27][28][28][29][30] However, the party maintains that it does not want to promote hatred to any nation, group or culture, but argues that Europe's Judeo-Christian identity should be protected.[26]

SPD also supports introducing a system of direct democracy and encouraging citizen participation in politics. It also wants to protect the right to privacy from state surveillance and supports a reduction in VAT tax.[26]

Organisation

Membership

Tomio Okamura often claims that SPD has a membership of thousands of members. In October 2017 he claimed that SPD has 7,000 members,[31] and in November 2017 12,000 members. Doubt has been cast on these figures, with the suggestion that Okamura often conflates numbers of supporters with actual members. It was reported in 2015 that SPD had only 20 members, compared to Okamura's claims of 10,000. The actual number of members is unknown.[32]

In February 2018 the party stated that it had 1,200 members.[33] The party had 1,400 members in July 2018.[34]

Election results

Chamber of Deputies
Year Vote Vote % Seats ± Place Government?
2015
8 / 200
 Split from Dawn No
2017 538,574 10.64
22 / 200
 14 4th No

Senate
Election First round Second round Seats Notes
Votes % Places Votes % Places
20165,9880.6820th 
0 / 27
2018759 3.347th 
0 / 1
By-election in Trutnov district.
2018 697 4.09 8th  
0 / 1
 By-election in Zlín district. Lubomír Nečas was a SPO candidate supported by SPD.
2018 70,110 6.44 7th  
0 / 27

Local election
Year Vote Vote % Place Seats
2018
155 / 61,892

European Parliament
ElectionVotesShare of votes in %Seats obtainedPlace
2019
216,718
9.14%
2 / 21
5th

Regional election
Year Vote Vote % Seats +/- Place Note
2016 153,099 5.7
18 / 675
 6th Participated in coalition with Party of Civic Rights

Prague municipal elections
Year Leader Vote Vote % Seats +/− Place Position
2018 Hynek Beran 895,859 3.54%
0 / 65
 0 6th
gollark: It's my OS, yes, for CC.
gollark: PotatOS stands for PotatOS Otiose Transformative Advanced Technology Or Something.
gollark: The potatOS DSK file is `.potatos_dsk`, not that.
gollark: That's what Anavrins wanted, *not* the DSK.
gollark: [file attached, by the way]

References
  1. "Seznam politických stran a hnutí - Ministerstvo vnitra České republiky". aplikace.mvcr.cz.
  2. demokracie, SPD - Svoboda a přímá. "Tomio Okamura: První číslo nových novin SPD - Na vlastní oči | SPD - Svoboda a přímá demokracie". www.spd.cz. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  3. "Trikolóra má už víc fanoušků než STAN a Piráti". Novinky.cz. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  4. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Czechia". Parties and Elections in Europe.
  5. demokracie, SPD - Svoboda a přímá. "Program - SPD - Svoboda a přímá demokracie". www.spd.cz.
  6. "France's Le Pen announces far-right bloc of anti-EU MEPs". BBC. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  7. "Okamura registers new anti-immigrant party Freedom and Direct Democracy". spd.cz. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  8. "Czech far-right leader Tomio Okamura urges citizens to walk pigs near mosques to defend country from Islam". Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  9. "Volební zisky evropské krajní pravice jsou zatím vyšší než české". ceskapozice.lidovky.cz (in Czech). 23 December 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  10. "Revoluce v Evropě? Něco se děje, podívejte se na Česko, píše se v Británii". EuroZprávy.cz. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  11. Beran, Vojtěch (13 November 2016). "42 "vlasteneckých" a nacionalistických skupin v Česku". Echo24.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  12. "Czech President Calls EU 'Cowards' on Yerushalayim". Hamodia. 10 December 2017.
  13. "New Czech PM Babiš prepares to talk migration, reforms at EU summit". Euractiv. 7 December 2017.
  14. Far-right scores surprise success in Czech election. Reuters. Authors - Robert Muller and Jan Lopatka. Published 21 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  15. Far-Right Czech election ‘kingmaker’ calls for referendum on EU membership ‘just like Britain’. The Telegraph. Author - Matthew Day. Published 19 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  16. Babiš’ Czech Republic: too thin a gruel?. openDemocracy. Author - Michal Simecka. Published 20 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017
  17. Ultra-right parties in EU nations score surging popularity in recent surveys. PRESSTV. Published 11 February 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  18. "» Rozhovor Tomia Okamury pro EuroZprávy.cz". Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  19. "Okamura a Fiala skončili v hnutí Úsvit, zakládají novou stranu". Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  20. https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1096898594-udalosti-komentare/4322-rekli-v-udalostech-komentarich/?strana=4 Archived October 9, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  21. "Tomio Okamura svolal všechny své lidi a bylo rušno: Nepřátelští vetřelci! Pokus o vraždu. Delegace od Marine Le Pen i provolání k Zemanovi". Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  22. Mouvement pour une Europe des Nations et des Libertés (19 October 2017). "Marine Le Pen supports Tomio Okamura, President of the SPD, member of the MENF" – via YouTube.
  23. "Le Pen to appear at December event with Okamura in Prague - Radio Prague".
  24. https://intellinews.com/czechia-sends-representatives-of-populist-ano-neo-fascist-spd-and-communists-to-european-parliament-161900/
  25. "Hyťhová opouští poslanecký klub SPD, bude spolupracovat s Trikolórou". iDNES.cz. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  26. "POLICY PROGRAM SPD". Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  27. "Far-right leaders gather in Prague ahead of EU vote". Euractive. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  28. "In Prague, Europe's far-right celebrates the Austrian coalition". Euractive. 17 December 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  29. "Far-right scores surprise success in Czech election". Reuters. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  30. "Czech Republic at heart of fight for Europe". Politico. 5 February 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  31. "Okamura chce s SPD do vlády. Podmínkou je pro něj zákon o referendu". Euro.cz (in Czech). 6 October 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  32. "Tisíc sem, tisíc tam. Okamura neví, kolik má jeho hnutí SPD členů. V televizi opět nemluvil pravdu". Info.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  33. "Nové straníky táhne do partají volební úspěch i propad". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  34. "Okamura zítra obhajuje post šéfa SPD". MF Dnes. Retrieved 14 July 2018.

Further reading
  • Hloušek, Vít; Kopeček, Lubomír; Vodová, Petra (2020). The Rise of Entrepreneurial Parties in European Politics. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-41916-5.
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