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Motorists for Themselves
Czech political party founded in 2022 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Motorists for Themselves (Czech: Motoristé sobě, abbreviation AUTO) is a right-wing to far-right Czech political party. It was originally founded by František Matějka, a spokesperson of the Václav Klaus' Institute, for the 2022 Prague municipal election.[9]
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Ideology and positions
The party opposes green politics, liberalism and progressivism and wants to abolish all bicycle lanes.[10] It has stated its support for "cars, coal and the crown".[10] Later, the party also proclaimed its opposition to the European Union, adoption of the Euro and the European Green Deal, while voicing its support for a free market, coal and a nuclear-based energy strategy.[8]
History
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2022 Prague municipal election
The party ran in the 2022 Czech municipal elections in Prague, claiming opposition to parties such as the Pirates and Prague Together. Motorists promised making the Prague Metro free of charge,[11] greatly reducing the number of bike lines and reducing the funding of culture, investing the funds into transport infrastructure instead.[12][13] Macinka accused the Pirate-led coalition in the city of bullying of drivers and called them "green fanatics".[14]
Motorists gained 540,209 votes, reaching 2.29% of the total, thus missing on the 5% electoral threshold and winning zero seats in the Prague City Assembly.[15]
Filip Turek controversy
Filip Turek, who led the party’s list in the 2024 European Parliament election and later was appointed honorary president of Motorists for Themselves,[2] wore a golden helmet with the symbol used by the former Greek far-right neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, one where he appeared to give a Nazi salute from a car, and one featuring a candlestick with a swastika. In a discussion on CNN Prima News, Turek stated that he was a collector, and also had a knife used by SS soldiers, but denied that he was a Nazi sympathizer. Czech police opened an investigation into his nazi salute gestures.[16]
2024 European Parliament election
For the 2024 European Parliament election, the party was firstly considering a joint electoral list together with Svobodní.[17] However, the party later announced a coalition with the Přísaha movement, with their joint list being led by a former automobile racer Filip Turek.[18][19] The coalition wants to reverse the European Green Deal and the ban on sale of petrol and diesel cars starting from 2035. It also claims to stand against illegal immigration and the adoption of euro as the Czech Republic's national currency.[20]
2025 Czech parliamentary election
At the beginning of 2025, the party announced that it will contest the 2025 Czech parliamentary election independently, after a membership vote favored that option. Party chairperson Macinka welcomed that decision, claiming it will allow the party to maintain "ideological purity". The party has however not ruled out offering spots on its lists to members of other minor parties, such as Svobodní, and said that it wants to continue its cooperation with Přísaha's Robert Šlachta.[21] At the same time, Motorists had also began to cross the 5% electoral threshold in some opinion polls.[22]
As their goal for the election, the party said it wants to beat the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) in terms of a seat share in the Parliament. Party officials said that they view possible governmental coalition with ODS negatively, rather leaning into the possibility of forming the government with the populist ANO. However, Macinka denied the possibility of any government cooperation with the communist Stačilo!.[23][8]
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Motor Generation
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In July 2024, the party established a youth wing, Motor Generation, under the leadership of former Svobodní member and Ostrava-Vítkovice councillor Matěj Gregor. Gregor claimed that the purpose of the organization is to offer a right-wing political alternative for young people and provide a voice for conservative youth, as well as bringing "order and discipline" into members' lives.[5]
However, a controversy erupted shortly after the organization's foundation, as it set up a photo booth at its inaugural congress featuring cards with the quotes "I have an SS dagger at home", "Certified racist", and "Congress 9.11.", with an image of a plane and the Twin Towers.[24]
Respekt also reported that Gregor was planning on creating a network of Motor Generation clubs at Czech universities under the disguise of "conservative clubs", as it is illegal to create partisan organizations in universities under Czech law. In an internal memo, Gregor allegedly said that the clubs would "create hell" for progressives on in the academic field, and would make them "whine and scream". Gregor later confirmed the authenticity of the memo, but called it "twisted" by the media. He also denied comparisons made between the organization and Hitlerjugend, or the youth organizations of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.[5][25][26]
Election results
Senate
European Parliament
| Election | List leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024[a] | Filip Turek | 304,623 | 10.26 (#3) (Přísaha and Motorists) |
1 / 21 |
New | Patriots for Europe |
Prague municipal elections
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Notes
- Ran as part of the Přísaha and Motorists coalition.
References
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