Czech Republic in First Place!

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{{Infobox political party

| name = Czech Republic on the 1st place!

| native_name = Česká republika na 1. místě!

| logo = File:Česká republika na prvním místě.png

| colorcode = grey

| leader = Ladislav Vrabel

| ideology = Vaccine hesitancy
Right-wing populism
Russophilia

| position = Right-wing

| website = https://cr1.cz

| abbreviation = ČR1

| native_name_lang = cs

}}

Czech Republic in First Place! ({{Langx|cs|Česká republika na 1. místě!}}) is a Czech populist political party founded by Ladislav Vrabel in 2023.

Foundation

Vrabel began his political career in 2021, running on the anti-vaccination "Open Czechia to Normal Life" list in the 2021 Czech parliamentary election.{{Cite web |title=Jmenné seznamy |url=https://volby.cz/pls/ps2021/ps111?xjazyk=CZ&xkraj=0&xstrana=21&xv=1&xt=1 |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=volby.cz|language=cs}}

After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vrabel organized a series of protests against the Fiala Cabinet, and wrote a manifesto entitled "Plan Czech Republic in First Place". He also called on Czech President Miloš Zeman to dismiss Fiala's cabinet and name a government consisting of "experts" nominated by him.{{Cite web |title=Ladislav Vrabel: Rusko na prvním místě aneb Kdo je organizátor demonstrací na Václavském náměstí |url=https://www.reflex.cz/clanek/zpravy/115664/ladislav-vrabel-rusko-na-prvnim-miste-aneb-kdo-je-organizator-demonstraci-na-vaclavskem-namesti.html |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Reflex.cz |date=18 October 2022 |language=cs}}

In early October 2022, 70,000 people attended a demonstration led by Vrabel on Prague's Wenceslas Square, and similar number attended a further two demonstrations held later in the same month. At each protest, Vrabel called for the resignation of Petr Fiala and early elections. He was joined by the leaders of several extra-parliamentary parties, including the Communist Party (KSČM), Svobodní, Tricolour, Swiss Democracy, Free Bloc and SD-SN.{{Cite web |title=Účastníci protivládní demonstrace zaplnili polovinu Václavského náměstí |url=https://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/2277665 |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=ČeskéNoviny.cz |language=cs|agency=Czech News Agency}}{{Cite news |last1=Cihla |first1=Radek |first2=Alena |last2=Hedvíková|date=2022-10-28 |title=Video, foto: Lidé na Václavském náměstí chtěli demisi vlády a příklon k Rusku |url=https://prazsky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/praha-demonstrace-vaclavskenamesti-vlada-demise-20221028.html |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Deník|language=cs|publisher=Vltava Labe Media}}{{Cite news |agency=Czech News Agency|date=2022-09-03 |title=OBRAZEM: Chceme demisi. V Praze přišlo proti vládě demonstrovat 70 tisíc lidí |url=https://www.denik.cz/z_domova/praha-protivladni-demonstrace-protest-vaclavske-namesti-20220903.html |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Deník|language=cs|publisher=Vltava Labe Media}} The demonstrations were labelled by some, including Fiala, as pro-Russian, and organised by "pro-Russian forces" acting against the interests of the Czech Republic.{{Cite web |title=Na Václavském náměstí se protestovalo proti vládě |url=https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/clanek/domaci/na-vaclavskem-namesti-se-protestovalo-proti-vlade-16752 |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=ČT24|language=cs}}

Around the same time, information began to be reported about Vrabel's financial irregularities.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-13 |title=Pořadatel demonstrací soudu tvrdil, že nemá majetek. Prodává pozemek za dva miliony|url=https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/domaci/poradatel-demonstraci-soudu-tvrdil-ze-je-nemajetny-prodava-p/r~5ea19eb632d911eda9eeac1f6b220ee8/ |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Aktuálně.cz|language=cs}} It later emerged that money which Vrabel had - illegally - gathered for the organisation of the protests was instead used to buy gold. In 2023, Vrabel was formally charged with subsidies fraud by the Czech police.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-12 |title=Policie obvinila pořadatele demonstrací Vrabela. Z podvodu s dotacemi na covid|url=https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/domaci-kauzy-policie-obvinila-poradatele-demonstraci-vrabela-z-podvodu-s-dotacemi-na-covid-238163 |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Seznam Zprávy|language=cs}} In late 2023, he founded Czech Republic in First Place!, seeking to run in the 2024 European elections.

Policies

Vrabel claims that the party's foremost priorities are "sovereignty and peace". He also said that his party wants to leave the European Union, even without holding a referendum on the decision. When a reporter presented him with a poll suggesting that 60% of Czechs would vote to remain in the EU, Vrabel said he still believed "that the majority of people want to leave". Vrabel also said that European integration does not promote peace in Europe, and that "France is already in near civil war".{{Cite web |date=2024-05-13 |title=Rozhovor s Ladislavem Vrabelem, lídrem kandidátky Česká republika na 1. místě! |url=https://www.irozhlas.cz/volby/rozhovor-s-ladislavem-vrabelem-lidrem-kandidatky-ceska-republika-na-1-miste_2405130600_ako |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=iROZHLAS |language=cs}}

According to Vrabel, Identity and Democracy is the closest European Parliament grouping to his party, but he also stated that he would try to form a "pacifist" and eurosceptic group to improve relations with Russia, along with parties like Republic.{{cite video|url=https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/10116287760-politicke-spektrum/224411058200008/|title=Volby do Evropského parlamentu 2024|lang=cs|time=6:00|access-date=31 May 2024|date=25 May 2024|work=Czech Television}}

Electoral results

= European Parliament =

class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;" ! Election ! List leader ! Votes ! % ! Seats ! +/− ! EP Group
2024 \|Ladislav Vrabel \|6,897 \|0.23 (#17) \|{{Composition bar\|0\|21\|hex=grey}} \|New \|−

class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;"

! Election

! List leader

! Votes

! %

! Seats

! +/−

! EP Group

2024

|Ladislav Vrabel

|6,897

|0.23 (#17)