KSČM prepares for Prague City Council elections

The Prague regional committee of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSČM) stated that bringing together communists, social democrats and other political forces committed to ensuring a dignified life for people of all generations was the appropriate response to the current situation in Prague.

The committee argued that Prague needed policies focused on the interests of its residents rather than narrow economic interests. It criticized the long-standing subordination of the city's administration to development projects, housing speculation and the privatization of public space, which it said had contributed to record-high housing costs, rising living expenses and increasingly difficult conditions for workers, young families and seniors.

The committee identified economic issues directly affecting residents' daily lives as its main priority. It called for large-scale construction of municipal housing with affordable rents, support for cooperative housing and stronger measures against the speculative use of housing as an investment asset.

It also argued that developers should bear responsibility for the wider consequences of construction. New housing developments, it said, should be accompanied by schools, kindergartens, healthcare facilities, social services and adequate transport infrastructure. The committee maintained that Prague's development should be planned according to residents' needs rather than the interests of major investors.

Other priorities identified by the committee included affordable energy, protection of water as a public good, quality public transport, the expansion of green spaces and more effective municipal governance. It argued that Prague had sufficient resources and potential to become a city in which decent living conditions were available to everyone, rather than primarily to wealthier residents.

The KSČM regional committee stressed that the left could only be effective through cooperation. It argued that divisions among left-wing forces strengthened right-wing politics and allowed the interests of big capital to prevail over those of the majority. For this reason, it said, it had decided to cooperate with other political parties and individuals who shared the view that politics should serve the public and that social justice should be reflected in concrete policies.

The committee said that in the coming weeks it would present Prague residents with specific proposals on improving housing affordability, reducing living costs, strengthening public services and returning the capital's priorities to the needs of its residents. Its stated aim was to provide an alternative to the city's current right-wing leadership based on solidarity, responsible management and the defense of the interests of the majority of Prague's population.