Czech far-right politician Tomio Okamura is set to become Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies after the populist ANO party and its allies backed his nomination.
The coalition, formed after the 3-4 October elections, includes former PM Andrej Babiš’s nationalist ANO party, Okamura’s far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), and the populist Motorists’ party, together commanding 108 of 200 parliamentary seats.
“The joint nominee of the future coalition for the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies is SPD’s Tomio Okamura,” ANO deputy chair Alena Schillerová confirmed on Wednesday.
The Tokyo-born Okamura, previously deputy speaker, is known for his nationalist and anti-EU rhetoric, including calls for referendums on Czech membership in NATO and the EU.
In early 2025, he was stripped of parliamentary immunity over allegedly racist campaign posters used in the 2024 European elections. His re-election restored his immunity just as coalition talks began with ANO leader Babiš who could support and protect him against any future attempts to strip him of his immunity.
Okamura will face Christian Democrat nominee Jan Bartošek in a secret ballot next week.
“It is not common for a country to be represented by a person who is being prosecuted by the police for a racist campaign. This will be seen as a problem by our foreign partners, and it will damage us,” Bartošek told the Czech press on Thursday.
Okamura’s victory appears likely, as defections from the governing bloc would risk derailing the formation of the new government.
(cs)
