On Wednesday, September 12, a pre-election debate was held at the Prague Congress Center with candidates for the Mayor of the City of Prague. The event was jointly organized by the American Chamber of Commerce, the British Chamber of Commerce, the Czech-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the French-Czech Chamber of Commerce, the Italian-Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Nordic Chamber of Commerce.
Representatives of six political parties, namely Jan Čižinský (Prague), Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates), Jan Chabr (United Forces for Prague), Jakub Landovský (CSSD), and Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS), took part in the debates. Petr Stuchlík (ANO) arrived during the debate and apologized for his late arrival. Prof. Štěpán Jurajda, economist and researcher at the CERGE-EI, served as moderator.
Unlike most of the pre-election debates, the Chambers’ debate focused on infrastructure, economy and modern technology issues, as decisions in these areas heavily impact the business strategies of companies operating in Prague and the Czech Republic. Additionally, mayor candidates discussed strategic city development, public transport, labor availability and education, providing affordable housing in the city and adjacent regions and the economic impact of tourism.
Among the audience was management of the most important companies operating in the Czech Republic and representatives of the British, Finnish and French embassies. The debate was simultaneously translated into English.