A new generation steps in: Record number of young MPs enter Czech parliament
A record number of young candidates won seats in the recent Czech parliamentary elections— a fourfold increase compared to the previous term. Why are young people suddenly gaining voter support? And what role do political youth organisations play in this?
Twelve candidates under the age of 30 were elected in the recent parliamentary elections (October 3-4, 2025). They will make up 6% of the lower house of parliament. Most of the successful young contenders ran for the Pirate Party and the Mayors and Independents (STAN). Among them is Julie Smejkalová, who, having just turned 21 - the legal minimum age to become an MP - will be the youngest Czech MP in history.
To gain more insight into the political involvement of young people in Czech politics, I spoke to co-president of the Association of Political Youth Organizations, Helena Martínková, who is also Chairwoman of the Young Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL).
She commented on the high number of young people elected:
“I think what happened is amazing! It’s great to have debates and talk about youth engagement and the role of younger generations, but I also think it’s important to have real role models — to see that young people can be active in politics not just in theory, but in practice. It’s something truly achievable.”
Some of the newly elected young MPs were - or still are - members of the Association of Political Youth Organisations, which brings together the youth wings of eight political parties across the spectrum. The association, founded in 2015, has between 2,000 and 2,500 members nationwide, with the highest concentration in larger cities like Prague and Brno, though groups or individuals are also active in more regional areas.
Their decision to unite under one umbrella serves two main purposes. The first is to organize school debates - something that would be difficult for an individual party’s youth wing to do on its own due to concerns about political bias. By involving representatives from across the political spectrum, the debates gain neutrality and become more widely accepted. Martínková explains the second:
“We want to hold public debates to show that the political spectrum is truly broad and that there are many different views on current issues. I believe this association should show that it’s possible to talk about really complicated and important social topics in a way that is understandable and at the same time polite.”
This is one of the declared goals of the newly elected young MPs, many of whom agree that they want to work together across the political spectrum on issues that matter most to young voters. They promise to foster more constructive and respectful communication - an ambition Martínková hopes is achievable, albeit not easy. She has already observed efforts to engage in more thoughtful criticism and remains optimistic that this approach will lead to positive change.
But what has driven the surge in young candidates being elected? Drawing on her experience from two previous elections, Martínková points to a clear shift:
“I think that what really changed is that more attention is given to young people. Eight years ago, it was treated as something that should maybe be included in parties’ programmes and maybe there should be some young people visible. Four years ago, the mind-set was: let's have some young candidates, let's maybe also include a programme for young people. And this year, at some point, I think it reached the level of a ‘full package’ when parties developed special programmes for the younger generation. They had these young candidates. And the media also helped us, which is a really important part of it. We could see new formats which are really made just from young people.”
The increased focus on issues affecting young people can, at least in part, be credited to the efforts of active youth organizations, which Martínková underlines:
“Good people in the youth organization were really asking for more attention. They were pointing out: We are here and we have our programme. We have our people. We are active. We are active in regions.”
At the same time, she points out the role of the parent party in supporting its youth wing, noting that individual party members can support younger generations effectively.
It is not just the approach to younger generations that has shifted, but also the issues that resonate with younger voters. According to Martínková, while previous elections saw more focus on topics like the environment, healthcare, and broader value-based debates, this time affordable housing took centre stage.
Martínková – perhaps along with other young people - is cautiously optimistic about the positive impact a stronger youth presence in the Czech lower house might bring - including when it comes to housing. But, she adds, that remains to be seen.
