The new political party launched by South Bohemia Regional Governor Martin Kuba will be called Naše Česko (‘Our Czechia’), as he has registered the trademark for this name with the Industrial Property Office, he confirmed on his Facebook page today.
“Yes, the name of the new movement will be Naše Česko,” wrote Kuba, a former long-time politician for the Civic Democratic Party (ODS). He officially announced the party’s name and logo at a press conference in Prague this morning.
In addition to the name Naše Česko, Kuba has also registered the trademarks ‘Naše Česko – Poprve poradne’ (‘Our Czechia – Properly For the First Time’) and ‘Naše Česko – Budoucnost tvorime spolecne’ (‘Our Czechia – We’ll Create the Future Together’).
Last autumn, Kuba announced that he was leaving ODS after 22 years to establish a new movement, which he would lead in South Bohemia in the October local elections. He justified his departure from ODS by citing changes in the party’s approach to politics. Several regional politicians also left ODS with him.
Kuba previously said that although he was starting in South Bohemia, he would also like to build a nationwide structure for the movement. The party currently has branches in the South Bohemia and Plzen regions.
The popular governor also has government experience, having served as the Minister of Industry and Trade in the ODS-led government of Petr Necas in 2012-2013. In 2020, Kuba became the governor of South Bohemia. He also led the South Bohemian ODS branch. The year before last, he led the ODS candidate list in the South Bohemia Region, winning the regional elections with 47% of the vote.
Presenting the new party to reporters this morning, Kuba said his new movement hopes to rise above the traditional political clashes between conservative and liberal ideas and seek ways to move the Czech Republic forward.
“We are trying not to practice politics as a constant clash between those who are more conservative and those who are more liberal. There should be a concept that unites us,” he said.
He added that his new movement would be center-right and maintain the positions that its members had brought with them from ODS. He said the Czech Republic’s involvement in Euro-Atlantic structures are important, but stressed that the Czech Republic should be “a proud state”.
According to Kuba, the current period will determine what the Czech Republic and Europe will look like in 20 or 50 years. Civilisations going through such transition periods are usually unaware of it at the time, he added. “We are one nation and we must find a way to make the Czech Republic a country that can stand on its own two feet,” Kuba pointed out.
Naše Česko intends to run in this year’s local elections, with its strongest position in the South Bohemia Region. “It is natural, that’s where our base is,” said Kuba. He said the party will field candidates elsewhere, but not at any cost, as it is more important to guarantee that the personalities on the candidate list will mean good politics for voters.
The governor stated that the movement would probably not be involved in the battle for Prague City Hall. However, he said Tomas Fiala should be defending his seat in the Senate this year. The movement is also negotiating with senator Jan Holasek, and may nominate other candidates for the upper house.
Kuba also called for patience, saying that building the movement’s structure is not just a matter of a few weeks. “The goal is to be ready for the parliamentary elections in three years,” he said.
He announced plans to hold a series of conferences across the country, through which he would gradually formulate the programme, introduce experts in various fields, and find new members for the movement.
In an interview with journalists, Kuba warned against linking his movement with PM Andrej Babis’s ruling ANO.
“In 2020, we formed a coalition in the region without ANO,” he said. “In 2022, we won the local elections in Ceske Budejovice, forming a coalition without ANO. In 2024, we defeated ANO by 22% in the South Bohemia Region. Someone who is unable to defeat [Babis] and is constantly thinking up ways to label us wants to stick this label on us.”
The leaders of the existing centre-right opposition parties do not yet see Kuba’s political movement as competition, since they believe it is still a regional project, they told reporters in the Chamber of Deputies today.
Recently elected ODS leader Martin Kupka told reporters that he did not fear for his party.
“The constitution clearly states that our democratic state is based on competition between political parties,” he said. “So what kind of political party would we be if we were afraid of such competition, especially in a situation where we say that the economy is also based on market principles, competition, and rivalry. For us, it is a challenge to make our policies understandable and clear.”
Mayors and Independents (STAN) leader Vit Rakusan also said he considers Kuba’s project to be regional for now.
“We’ll see how it develops,” he said. “We started from the bottom in 2004, we have 22 years behind us, and lots of excellent regional politicians who win elections. It is everyday reality that there are more or fewer rivals, but we certainly have no concerns.”
