Municipal elections across Central Europe result in new local leadership

Local elections in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have led to the formation of new municipal governments and leadership structures across various cities and towns.

In the Czech Republic, Krnov has appointed Monika Bala Dudová from the ANO movement as mayor following a coalition agreement between ANO, Democrats for Krnov, Krnováci, and Za Krnov s KDU. In Jihlava, Petr Ryška will continue as mayor, supported by four deputies. Other municipalities including Slavkov u Brna, Náchod, Kroměříž, and Volary have also confirmed their new leadership and council compositions.

In Slovakia, municipal transitions are creating significant financial pressures. Over 700 outgoing mayors and officials are entitled to statutory severance payments based on their length of service, which is expected to cost municipalities millions of euros. For example, the village of Stará Halic faces a severance cost of approximately 28,000 euros, nearly ten percent of its annual budget. Additionally, Slovak municipalities are preparing for increased costs related to municipal waste management due to new legal requirements for waste processing effective January 2027.