Libertas.cz is a
eurosceptic
Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies and seek refor ...
party in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
that was founded in 2009 by the former media entrepreneur and
MEP Vladimír Železný
Vladimír Železný (born 3 March 1945) is a Czech businessman and politician. He was the first CEO of Nova (Czech TV), TV NOVA, a popular Czech television station and was a member of the European Parliament between 2004 and 2009. As a media mogu ...
. After some controversies it became an associate of
Declan Ganley
Declan James Ganley (born 23 July 1968) is an English-born Irish entrepreneur, businessman, and political activist. He was the founder and leader of the Irish branch of the eurosceptic Libertas Party.
Primarily a telecommunications entrepreneur ...
's pan-European alliance
Libertas.eu
Libertas was a European political party founded by Declan Ganley that took part in the 2009 European Parliament election in several member states of the European Union. It won one seat in France.
History
Creation
In 2008, the Libertas Institu ...
.
History
After comprehensive negotiations with president
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...
and other leading Czech eurosceptics, Ganley's attempts to bring about a Czech branch of ''Libertas.eu'' remained unsuccessful. The newly founded
Party of Free Citizens
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...
, which was endorsed by Klaus, unexpectedly refused to cooperate with Ganley's pan-European alliance, leaving the name ''Libertas'' unclaimed in the Czech Republic.
This enabled the former media mogul Vladimír Železný, a eurosceptic
Member of the European Parliament
A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...
to register a party under exactly the designated name by January 21, 2009.
[Lidovky.cz: Czech MEP Železný establishes Libertas.cz movement]
, January 21, 2009, Prague Monitor It remained unclear whether the registration had been accomplished in some way on behalf of the European ''Libertas.eu''
or without any consent.
Supporters of Železný's ''Libertas.cz'' included
Jana Bobošíková
Jana Bobošíková (born 29 August 1964) is a Czech politician. In the 2004 European Parliament election she was elected a Member of the European Parliament for the Independents and remained unaffiliated in the European Parliament. In the 20 ...
[Euro Watch: Cyclone Klaus hits Europe]
, February 5, 2009, Prague Post and
Vlastimil Tlustý but not Declan Ganley and his followers, who promptly disavowed the party.
["Lidovky.cz: Czech MEP's Libertas appears without Ganley's knowledge"](_blank)
23 January 2009, Prague Monitor However, after Václav Klaus intervened,
[Czech president meets MEPs from eurosceptical group]
, March 5, 2009, Prague Monitor two MPs, Vlastimil Tlustý and Jan Schwippel, changed sides, leaving
ODS
ODS may refer to:
Computing, Internet and information technology
*Files-11 (On-Disk Structure), a DEC filesystem
* Office of Digital Strategy, Executive Branch of the White House
*OpenDocument Spreadsheet file format
* Online dating service
* O ...
and joining Železný's ''Libertas.cz''.
[Czech rebel MPs to join Libertas.cz and run in EP elex]
, 14:40 31 March 2009
aktualne.centrum.cz
/ref>
", fro
fleet-sheet.respekt.cz
/ref> This led the European ''Libertas.eu'' to a volte-face, now claiming Železný's ''Libertas.cz'' an affiliate.[MPs who voted against Czech government join Libertas list for European Parliament elections]
", 1 April 2009 21:00
libertas.eu
2009 European Parliament elections
The list fielded by ''Libertas.cz'' in the 2009 European Parliament election
The 2009 European Parliament election was held in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Member of the European Parliament, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected to represent s ...
s contained the following 29 candidates:
The list contained the nineteen candidates from Železný's other party ( Nezávislí demokraté), six independents (including Jan Schwippel, now disavowed ODS), one ODS (Vlastimil Tlustý), and three other candidates.
The number of candidates elected was zero.
See also
* Treaty of Lisbon
The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is a European agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by all EU member states o ...
External links
Official siteVlastimil Tlustý - Libertas Ceska
on YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
.
References
{{Libertas topics
Eurosceptic parties in the Czech Republic
Political parties established in 2009
Conservative parties in the Czech Republic
Libertas.eu
2009 establishments in the Czech Republic