Social Democrats join forces with Communists for Czech elections

Leaders of the Enough! (Stačilo!) party and Social Democrats (SOCDEM) have announced details of their alliance ahead of October’s parliamentary elections. SOCDEM leader Jana Maláčová will head the Stačilo! candidate list in Prague, while party vice-chair Jiří Nedvěd will lead in the Karlovy Vary region. Former minister Lubomír Zaorálek will be second behind communist leader Kateřina Konečná in Moravia-Silesia. The alliance, seen by critics as a betrayal of core Social Democrat values, aims to prevent left-wing votes from being wasted. Together, they campaign for cheap housing, basic food security, and referendums on EU and NATO membership.