Czech lawmakers have voted to raise their salaries. High-ranking politicians will see their salaries rise by nearly 7% this year, with a maximum increase of 5% in subsequent years.
The amendment to the law was pushed through by the ruling coalition, while the opposition unsuccessfully proposed freezing salaries for the next five years. A regular legislator’s salary will increase by 7,100 CZK (281 euro) to 109,500 CZK (4334 euro) per month, while the president’s salary will rise by nearly 24,000 CZK (950 euro) to 365,000 CZK (14448 euro.
Government officials, including Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL), emphasized that the adjustment was necessary due to a decision by the Constitutional Court made last year.
Of the 127 attending members from the ruling parties, 67 voted in favor of the adjustment, while 58 opposition deputies voted against.
“Now the whole country has witnessed the arrogance of the ruling coalition,” said Tomio Okamura, leader of the SPD. Both the ANO and SPD parties proposed freezing politicians’ salaries until the end of 2029 at last year’s level, but neither opposition party succeeded in this.
Alongside them, deputies from the Pirate Party also voted against the salary increase. Their proposal to cut multi-purpose one-time transport allowances for parliamentarians also failed.
“This was the only proposal that would truly reduce politicians’ incomes. I was very surprised that even the ANO movement, which often claims that politicians are not greedy, did not support this idea,” said Jakub Michálek, leader of the Pirate Party, after the session.
However, several proposals were accepted, including some at the regional level, such as the abolition of severance pay for MPs who take up mandates in European institutions.
