Mayors and Independents

The Mayors and Independents (Czech: Starostové a nezávislí), abbreviated to STAN, is a liberal to liberal conservative[2] political party in the Czech Republic that is focused on localism,[2] regionalism[9] and subsidiarity. The party grew out of four minor parties, including Independent Mayors for the Region,[10] which allied itself with the liberal-conservative SNK European Democrats, and cooperated with the similarly liberal-conservative TOP 09 until 2016. It holds 33 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and is the third strongest party by number of seats following the 2021 election.

Mayors and Independents
Starostové a nezávislí
LeaderVít Rakušan
Deputy LeadersLukáš Vlček
Jan Farský
Michaela Šebelová
Pavel Čížek
Jan Lacina
Chamber of Deputies LeaderJosef Cogan
Senate LeaderPetr Holeček
Founded2004 (2004)
NewspaperSTANoviny
Think tankInstitute of Modern Politics iSTAR
Youth wingYoung Mayors and Independents
Membership (2021)1,921[1]
Ideology
Political positionCentre[6] to centre-right[7][8]
National affiliationPirates and Mayors (2020–2021)
European Parliament groupEuropean People's Party
ColoursSky blue, yellow, Atlantis green, red, white, gray
Chamber of Deputies
33 / 200
Senate
19 / 81
European Parliament
1 / 21
Regional councils
91 / 675
Regional governors
4 / 13
Local councils
3,073 / 62,300
Website
www.starostove-nezavisli.cz

In the 2013 election to the Chamber of Deputies, STAN won five seats on the TOP 09 list: Jan Farský, Stanislav Polčák, Věra Kovářová, František Vácha and acting leader Petr Gazdík. In the Czech Senate, STAN has four members. The party competes separately in local government elections. In the 2010 local elections, the party won 1,243 councillors, making it the sixth-largest party on local councils.[11] In the 2017 election to the Chamber of Deputies, STAN won six seats: Petr Gazdík, Jan Farský, Věra Kovářová, Vít Rakušan, Martin Půta (who was replaced by Petr Pavek) and Jana Krutáková.

The party contested the 2021 Czech parliamentary election as part of the coalition Pirates and Mayors with the Czech Pirate Party.

History

STAN grew out of NSK (Nezávislí starostové pro kraj, Independent Mayors for the Region), founded in 2004 and transformed in 2009. Led by its first Leader Petr Gazdík and Deputy Leader Stanislav Polčák elected in 2009, STAN started co-operating with the liberal-conservative TOP 09 at all political levels; with Petr Gazdík leading the TOP 09 and STAN parliamentary group. In 2013, the said co-operation was de facto curtailed to the parliamentary level, i.e. was continued only in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. In 3/2014, Petr Gazdík was succeeded in the STAN leadership by Martin Půta (Governor, Liberecký Region); and became the First Deputy Leader deputised by Stanislav Polčák. Sharing common candidates standing in the 2014 European Parliament election, STAN and TOP 09 polled 15.95% of the votes and gained four seats with one being taken by STAN Deputy Leader Stanislav Polčák. In 2016, Martin Půta was succeeded by Petr Gazdík leading STAN into the regional and Senate elections. In 2019 Vít Rakušan was elected as a new leader. In 2020 STAN won the Senate elections (with 11 seats of 27 contested).

Manifesto

The party's top priorities include: good stewardship, high-quality education, environmental care and heritage protection – investing in education is key to the future prosperity that, however, must be built on the principles of good stewardship (management of public funds, use of energy resources and prudential landscape interventions). In promoting the principle of subsidiarity, STAN encourages localism, decentralisation, reduced bureaucracy and corruption clampdown.[2] STAN further promotes: European integration, high-quality education, investments in science, state economy driven by the principles of a free market with the social aspect and sanctity of private property in mind, and environment protection.

Election results
Leader of the movement Vít Rakušan

Chamber of Deputies
Year Vote Vote % Seats ± Place Position
2010 873,833 16.70
5 / 200
 New 6th Coalition
Ran on TOP 09 list, which won 41 seats in total
2013 596,357 12.00
4 / 200
 Decrease 1 8th Opposition
Ran on TOP 09 list, which won 26 seats in total
2017 262,157 5.2
6 / 200
 Increase 2 9th Opposition
2021 839,448 15.61
33 / 200
 Increase 27 3rd Coalition
Part of Pirates and Mayors coalition, which won 37 seats in total
Billboard in Prague

Senate
Election First round Second round Seats won Seats overall +/-
Votes % Places Votes % Places
20124,4600.525th-
0 / 27
0 / 81
Steady0
201411,6137.07th-
0 / 27
0 / 81
Steady0
201415,5761.59th11,0992.39th
2 / 27
2 / 81
Increase2
201643,2344.97th25,3896.06th
3 / 27
5 / 81
Increase3
201827,61533.51st30,33167.111st
1 / 1
6 / 81
Increase1
201876,8177.057th47,31711.313rd
5 / 27
11 / 81
Increase5
201934,51423.532nd7,07059.501st
1 / 1
12 / 81
Increase1
2020122,94812.32nd104,53823.11st
11 / 27
19 / 81
Increase7
Leading the movement

1 By-election in Zlín district.
2 By-election in Trutnov district.
3 By-election in Prague-9 district.

Presidential election
Indirect Election Candidate First round result Second round result Third round result
Votes %Votes Result Votes %Votes Result Votes %Votes Result
2008 Jan Švejnar 128 49.10 Runner-up 141 47.19 Runner-up 111 44.05 Lost
Direct Election Candidate First round result Second round result
Votes %Votes Result Votes %Votes Result
2013 Karel Schwarzenberg 1,204,195 23.40 Runner-up 2,241,171 45.20 Lost
2018 Jiří Drahoš 1,369,601 26.60 Runner-up 2,701,206 48.63 Lost

European Parliament
Year Vote Vote % Seats Place
2009 53,984 2.3
0 / 22
 8th
2014 Coalition with TOP 09
1 / 21
 8th
2019 Coalition with TOP 09
1 / 21
 7th

Regional election
Year Vote1 Vote %1 Seats +/- Place
2004 Ran only in coalitions
1 / 675
 10th
2008 53,462 1.83
14 / 675
 13 Increase 5th
2012 28,763 1.09
38 / 675
 24 Increase 5th
2016 101,696 4.02
56 / 675
 18 Increase 6th
2020 167,459 6.04
91 / 675
 35 Increase 4th

1 Does not include coalitions

Prague municipal elections
Year Leader Vote Vote % Seats +/− Place Position
2022 Petr Hlaváček 1,831,696 7.8%
5 / 65
 Increase 1 5th Government

Leaders

Footnotes
  1. "Členská základna ODS je větší než ČSSD, z mladých uskupení nejvíce roste SPD". ČT24 (in Czech). Česká televize. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  2. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Czechia". Parties and Elections in Europe.
  3. "STAN zakládá vlastní think-tank!" (in Czech). Institut moderní politiky iSTAR. 31 January 2019.
  4. Mortkowitz, Siegfried (25 April 2021). "Babiš under fire after Commission audit published". Politico.
  5. Zachová, Aneta (3 February 2021). "PM Babiš is slowly losing ground, opinion poll shows". Euractiv.
  6. "TABLE-Czech billionaire's ANO party wins big in election". Reuters. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  7. "Difficult Coalition Negotiations Following ANO Landslide". BMI Research. 23 October 2017. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  8. "Tschechische Regierung zerbricht unter Prager Korruptionsskandal". Euractiv. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  9. Stephens, Jack (18 December 2021). "Who's Who In The New Czech Cabinet?". Brno Daily. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  10. Peters, Ingo; Bakke, Elisabeth, eds. (2011). 20 Years since the Fall of the Berlin Wall: Transitions, State Break-Up and Democratic Politics in Central Europe and Germany. p. 241. ISBN 9783830527022.
  11. "Volby Do Obecních zastupitelstev ČR 2010". iDnes. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
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