Tomio Okamura takes the helm in the Chamber of Deputies: The head of the right-wing SPD was elected President of the Czech Parliament with the support of the new coalition of ANO, SPD and Motoristé sobě.
The Chairman of the Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD), Tomio Okamura, has been elected as the new Chairman of the Czech Chamber of Deputies. In the secret ballot, he received 107 votes, while his opponent Jan Bartošek of the KDU-ČSL received 81 votes. Okamura’s election was part of the coalition agreement between ANO, SPD and Motoristé sobě, which also provides for the formation of a new government under Andrej Babiš.
“I will be an impartial Chairman for everyone,” promised Okamura in his inaugural speech. The election campaign is over; now it is about working together in the interest of the country. “I symbolically extend my hand to anyone willing to take it,” said the new President of Parliament. As the new Chairman, he wishes to contribute to a better atmosphere in the Chamber of Deputies.
Patrik Nacher of ANO and Jiří Barták of Motoristé sobě were elected as Vice-Chairmen of the Chamber of Deputies. Nacher received 144 votes, Barták 113. One Vice-Chairman post is still expected to go to the ODS, and another to the STAN movement.
Fiala’s government submits resignation – path clear for Babiš
The government of Petr Fiala will decide to resign after the constitutive session of the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday morning. Only then can President Petr Pavel appoint a new Prime Minister. The designated head of government, Babiš, intends to form a new cabinet by the end of November.
According to current agreements, the future government is to consist of 16 members: nine posts, including the Prime Minister, for ANO, three for the SPD, and four for Motoristé sobě.
Who is Tomio Okamura?
Tomio Okamura (*4 July 1972 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Czech entrepreneur and politician. The son of a Czech mother and a Japanese father, he grew up partly in Czechoslovakia and partly in Japan. From 1994, he was mainly active in the travel industry, later also in the hospitality sector and as an author. For several years, Okamura served voluntarily as vice-president and spokesperson of the Association of Czech Tour Operators.
Okamura began his political career in 2012 as an independent candidate. From 2013 to 2015, he led the party he had founded, Úsvit přímé demokracie. Following a dispute, he left the party on 4 May 2015 and, together with other departing MPs, founded the right-wing populist party Svoboda a přímá demokracie (SPD), of which he remains leader to this day.
