“We need a strong voice in the Chamber of Deputies to represent us. There is no one in our parliamentary caucus with more experience than Marian Jurečka,” said party President Jan Grolich in his opening remarks. The President also thanked Tom Philipp for his leadership of the group to date. Petr Hladík, Jiří Horák, and Václav Pláteník remain as vice-chairs of the group, joined by outgoing group chair Tom Philipp and First Deputy President of the party Benjamin Činčila.

“I believe we should build on the direction set at the congress. We must be a tough but constructive opposition and address the substance of the issues at hand. As members of the Christian Democrats, we truly care about the citizens of this country, and we must be an opposition that not only comments but also puts forward concrete proposals and implements them better than the current government,” said the newly elected group chairman, Marian Jurečka.

President Jan Grolich also drew attention to the “smoke screen” being spread by the current government, which distracts attention from important issues. “The bottom line is that the current government is setting the stage to plunge the Czech Republic into extreme debt. Specifically, we’re talking about the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which poses a huge risk to our country. Once this government’s term ends, our country could hit a wall,” he explained 

The party’s First Deputy President, Benjamin Činčila, pointed out the staggering figure of 1.5 trillion crowns—the amount by which our country’s debt will increase under this administration. It should be noted that the current government took over the country’s finances in much better shape. “To help us all visualize this, here’s something we’re familiar with from our daily lives. If you have a toothache and a small cavity, you should go to the dentist. What this government is doing is not going for a checkup at the dentist, but continuing to drink sugary drinks and eat sweets. And that will only lead to our teeth hurting so much that, in the end, we won’t even be able to speak. The current government is handing out everything to everyone in an effort to irresponsibly fulfill its pre-election promises. All we need to do is strike a reasonable compromise between low taxes, a strong state, and a debt-free future. We, as the People’s Party, will deliver this compromise,” said Benjamin Činčila.