Prague, July 20 (CTK) – Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) of Tomio Okamura would like to win at least 10 percent of the vote in the autumn general election, SPD deputy chairman Radim Fiala told CTK during the movement’s meeting opening its campaign today.
“Our preferences currently oscillate between 8 and 10 percent of the vote. We certainly aim at a double-digit result… Any double-digit result would be a success,” Fiala said.
The latest opinion polls indicated that support for the SPD would be closely below the 5-percent threshold to enter the Chamber of Deputies. However, some other polls showed it may win parliamentary seats. The election is due on October 20-21.
Fiala said the SPD is neither right-wing nor left-wing. He said the whole Czech political scene consists of mainstream parties that seek the formation of a European superstate in which the Czech Republic would be controlled from Brussels.
Fiala said the SPD is a movement of patriots who want sovereign states.
The SPD wants to ban Islam in the country, introduce a compulsory eight-week military training, hold a referendum on the departure from the European Union, and decide on crucial issues in national referendums.
Okamura is one of the most popular politicians in the country, and observers consider him a populist and nationalist. In 2012, he became a senator and unsuccessfully ran for Czech president. In 2013, he founded the Dawn of Direct Democracy movement and succeeded in winning 14 seats in the 200-member parliament.
In 2015, however, Dawn split. Its representatives expelled Okamura and Fiala and renamed the movement to Dawn-National Coalition, but they are unlikely to succeed in the forthcoming election. Okamura formed the SPD, which is the only post-Dawn project that seems to have a good chance of re-entering parliament.
The SPD has about 50,000 crowns on its transparent account now. It plans to raise money for its campaign from donors.
($1=22.572 crowns)
kva/dr
