Czech municipalities face rise in single-candidate election lists

A growing trend of single-candidate lists is emerging in several Czech municipal regions, according to data from the Czech Statistical Office. In the Pelhřimov region, 33 out of 120 municipalities—more than a quarter—have only one electoral group running for local government.

In Nová Cerekev, the largest municipality affected with 1,196 residents, only the group ‘NOVÁ CEREKEV 1’ is contesting the fifteen-member council. Mayor Zdeněk Rajdlík noted that difficulty in assembling candidates and a lack of interest in local government roles are contributing factors to this trend.

A similar pattern is observed in the Hodonín region, where 14 out of 82 municipalities feature only one candidate list. Kněždub, the largest in this group with 1,044 residents, will see only the ‘Sdružení nezávislých kandidátů’ competing for seats. Many of these single-list groups consist of independent candidates, though some represent established political parties like KDU-ČSL.