Radek Popelka, until now deputy mayor of Jihlava, announced on 22 October 2026 that he was resigning as chairman of the local organisation of the ANO movement. The 56-year-old politician said he would submit the resignation in writing in the coming days and that he would no longer lead the party's candidate list in the elections four years from now. He is to remain in the movement as an ordinary member. The movement will have to elect a new chairman; Popelka did not yet know who the successor would be.[1][2]
Reasons
Popelka described the step as administrative and taken of his own accord. In his words, he had decided on it before the municipal elections, so it has nothing to do with the election result or the negotiations that followed, nor with the restart of the movement discussed by chairman Andrej Babiš and deputy chairman Karel Havlíček. In his view, the younger generation should take over the leadership of the candidate list.[1][2]
Political context
ANO, with Popelka at the head of its candidate list, won the municipal elections in Jihlava in 2014, 2018 and 2022. In 2014 it gained control of the city leadership only after the original coalition collapsed, and Popelka became deputy mayor, a post he also held after the 2022 elections, when ANO formed a coalition with ODS. In 2026 ANO won 23.2 per cent of the vote, while the winning Tým pro Jihlavu received 37.5 per cent. In the 37-member city council, Tým pro Jihlavu holds 16 seats, ANO 10 and STAN five. The new coalition of Tým pro Jihlavu and STAN has 21 votes, and ANO moves into opposition.[1][2]
According to Popelka, the presidium of the local ANO organisation was re-established because of the municipal elections; before that, its tasks were handled by the movement's district organisation for the Jihlava area. He said he is not part of its leadership.[2]
Chronology
- — Radek Popelka, the outgoing deputy mayor of Jihlava, announced his resignation as chairman of the Jihlava branch of the ANO movement. iDNES.cz Deník: Vysočina
Sources
- iDNES.cz — 22 October 2026
- Deník: Vysočina — 22 October 2026