EU funds for winning parties
- Civic Democrats (ODS) - CZK 22 million
- Social Democrats (ČSSD) - CZK 16 million
- Communist Party(KSČM) - CZK 10 million
- Sovereignty (Suverenita) - CZK 3 million
- Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) - CZK 5.4 million
- European Democratic Party (EDS) - CZK 2.1 million
- Public Affairs (Věci veřejné) - CZK 1.7 million
- Mayors and Independents - CZK 1.6 million
- Green Party - CZK 1.5 million
- European Democrats (SNK ED) - CZK 1.2 million
- Party of Free Citizens (SSO) - CZK 900,000
- Workers' Party - CZK 750,000
Prague - Some of the minor parties that ran in the European parliament elections were aware of the fact that their chances to win the needed 5 percent of the vote to get an EP seat are very slim.
Therefore they had lowered their political ambition to the minimum - to gain one percent of the voters' support.
By EU standards any party that raises at least 1 percent in the vote is eligible to receive funds from the European Union. Translated into Czech crowns, one vote equals 30 CZK.
Thus far-right Workers' Party which won 1.07% in the vote is officially entitled to CZK 750,000, while the new right wing euroskeptic party - Party of Free Citizens led by president Klaus' aide Tomáš Mach - will get about CZK 900,000.
Another euroskeptic grouping - Sovereignty party led by current MEP Jana Bobošíková - will stay away from the European parliament for the next five years because it gained "only 4.3 percent in the balloting but the party will receive nearly CZK 3 million.
Spliting of eurosceptics
Bobošíková may not be at the helm of the party for long, though. She is among the serious contestants in a new TV public service election. If she is elected, she will have to give up her present political leadership.
"The law is clear enough. Should I be elected, I will give up my current position at the helm," Jana Bobošíková said in a televised interview on Sunday.
Czech branch of euroskeptic Libertas.cz led by Vladimír Železný failed to win the 1 percent support (0.94 percent).
Many believe the three euroskeptic parties paid the price for breaking up instead of uniting into one party. As the poll results show, they would have gained the coveted 5 percent altogether.
The winning Civic Democratic Party has reached to CZK 22 million, while Social Democrats are eligible to receive CZK 16 million. The Communist Party will get CZK 10 million, which is a drop by CZK 4 million they got in the 2004 polls.
Funds for Workers' Party questioned
The discrepancies found in the Workers' Party annual financial report, some say, may bar the party from receiving the EU money.
"If a party presents an incomplete annual report or no report at all, it is not eligible to receive any state money, be it EU funds," head of the lower house controlling committee Vladimír Koníček (The Communist Party) said.
Allegedly, the party failed to name all of their donors, as required by law. It is now under investigation.
