Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova (TOP 09) will not defend her seat in the Czech parliament in the autumn elections, she told the TOP 09 board yesterday, citing health problems. At the same time, she offered to step down as the party leader, though the board supported her remaining in her post until the party congress in November.
Pekarova Adamova will also remain the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.
“I perceive and have always perceived politics as a service to the citizens of our country,” said Pekarova Adamova in a statement from TOP 09. “However, my health does not allow me to add election campaigning to my current workload. I have carefully considered my decision and also consulted doctors before making it.”
She added on social media that doctors had strongly advised her not to take part in the arduous campaign.
Pekarova Adamova is one of the main faces of the ruling Spolu coalition, composed of the Civic Democrats (ODS), Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and TOP 09. She became the party chair of TOP 09 in 2019 and defended her position most recently in November 2023, running unopposed.
“I consider putting my health first to be the right and responsible decision,” she said.
She informed the TOP 09 leadership of her decision yesterday and offered to vacate her post. “However, my colleagues unanimously supported me and expressed their wish that I remain in the post until the end of my mandate in November,” she said, adding that she would then hand over the leadership of TOP 09 to a successor.
Meanwhile, she will remain as the speaker of the lower house until the end of her term. “I am convinced that I will be able to complete my mandate as a deputy and speaker of the lower house properly, and that is what I am focusing my efforts on now,” she said.
She also asked the media and the public to respect her privacy.
TOP 09 deputy chair and Deputy Prime Minister Vlastimil Valek praised Pekarova Adamova’s work. “I am extremely sorry that she cannot continue her campaign. All the more so because there are health reasons behind it. As a friend and as a doctor, I fully respect her responsible decision and I am glad that Marketa is following the recommendations of experts and taking her health into account,” he said.
Pekarova Adamova led the Spolu candidate list in Prague in the 2021 general election. No decision has yet been made on the composition of this year’s Spolu candidate list. The media have speculated that Defence Minister Jana Cernochova (ODS) could replace Pekarova Adamova in the capital. However, Pekarova Adamova told the news server iDNES.cz that a representative of TOP 09 would once again lead the candidate list.
