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Petr Macinka

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Petr Macinka
MP
Macinka in 2025
Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 December 2025
Prime MinisterAndrej Babiš
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 December 2025
Prime MinisterAndrej Babiš
Preceded byJan Lipavský
Minister of the Environment
Acting
Assumed office
15 December 2025
Prime MinisterAndrej Babiš
Preceded byPetr Hladík
Leader of Motorists for Themselves
Incumbent
Assumed office
20 May 2022
Preceded byPosition established
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 October 2025
Personal details
Born (1978-08-18) 18 August 1978 (age 47)
Břeclav, Czechoslovakia
PartyMotorists for Themselves
Alma materCEVRO University
OccupationPolitician
Signature

Petr Macinka (born 18 August 1978) is a Czech politician and former presidential spokesperson, who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Environment since December 2025, in the third cabinet of Andrej Babiš.[1] He has been the leader of the Czech political party Motorists for Themselves since 2022. A long-time collaborator of former Czech President Václav Klaus, he previously served as a spokesman at the Václav Klaus Institute and as deputy director of the Presidential Press Department.

In the 2025 Czech parliamentary election he was elected as an MP for Motorists for Themselves.

Early life and career

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Macinka was born in Břeclav in 1978.[2] He studied political science and international relations at the private CEVRO Institute, obtaining a master's degree in 2013.[3] From 2008 to 2013, he worked as deputy director of the press department in the office of the president under Václav Klaus.[4]

Political career

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In 2022, Macinka took over a dormant minor party and rebranded it as Motoristé sobě (English: Motorists for Themselves). The party first ran in the 2022 Prague municipal elections on a platform opposing bicycle lanes and promoting free public transport for motorists. Although it failed to pass the electoral threshold in Prague, it gained media attention for its anti-green and populist rhetoric.[5]

In 2024, Macinka led the party into a coalition with Přísaha for the 2024 European Parliament election. The coalition won 10.26% of the vote and gained two seats, one of which went to the Motorists' election leader Filip Turek. Following the election, the party grew in national profile. At its first congress in late 2024, Macinka was re-elected leader, and Turek was appointed honorary president.[6]

Ahead of the 2025 Czech parliamentary election, Macinka declared that the party aimed to enter the national parliament and overtake the Civic Democratic Party (ODS). He expressed openness to forming a coalition with ANO 2011, while rejecting any cooperation with left-wing parties.[7] In the election, the Motorists received 6.8% of the vote and won seats in the Chamber of Deputies for the first time, with Macinka among the MPs elected in the South Moravian Region.[8][9]

Views

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The Motorists have faced criticism over alleged ties to far-right figures and rhetoric.[10] In 2024, Filip Turek, the party's top European election candidate, was photographed wearing a helmet with neo-Nazi symbolism and appeared to give a Nazi salute. Macinka defended Turek, calling the criticism a "pseudo-problem" and part of a political smear campaign.[6] In October 2025, Macinka once again defended Turek after an archive of his deleted social media posts and comments was published by the newspaper Deník N. The posts included openly racist, sexist, and homophobic statements and numerous allusions to Hitler and Mussolini.[11][12] Macinka expressed full support for Turek, who denied authorship of the posts and said the case was a deliberate attempt to discredit him.[12]

In 2025 Macinka expressed that he was opposed to a referendum on Czech withdrawal from the European Union.[13] He also opposes adoption of the Euro, same-sex marriage, progressive taxation, and the EU's 2035 phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles, which he called "industrial self-destruction".[14]

His potential nomination to the ministry of environment sparked several protests in Prague and other cities in the Czech Republic.[15] On 15 December 2025, after he was inaugurated as the interim head of the environment ministry, Macinka said: "I would like to reassure the Czech public and all ordinary citizens and to tell them that the climate crisis in the Czech Republic is over as of today".[16]

Macinka expressed support for relocating the Czech embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, stating it should have been done earlier. Speaking at a Hanukkah event in Prague's Palach Square, he called for greater Czech solidarity with Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, as well as condemning the recent anti-Semitic mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney.[17]

Following the 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela, Macinka called for the de-escalation of regional tensions through diplomatic channels. He advocated for a negotiated settlement that included the Venezuelan opposition to ensure national stability.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Kučerová, Barbora (15 December 2025). "První den dvojministra Macinky. Nejprve se chválil, pak obědval ve fast foodu". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  2. ^ Perknerová, Kateřina (12 January 2025). "Profil Petra Macinky". Deník (in Czech). Vltava Labe Media. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  3. ^ "Václav Klaus: CEVRO je ostrůvkem svobody". CEVRO.cz (in Czech). 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  4. ^ "Václav Klaus je pro nás autorita, říká Macinka". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 12 January 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  5. ^ "Motoristé sobě chtějí v Praze metro zdarma a společnou parkovací kartu". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Borgis. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b Kučerová, Barbora (10 December 2024). "Hitler s tebou? Tak si v Motoristech neříkame, tvrdí jejich předseda". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Macinka: Chceme porazit ODS a vládnout s ANO". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Borgis. 12 January 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Exšéf Cermatu Krejčí kandiduje do Sněmovny. Bude hájit barvy Motoristů sobě v Jihočeském kraji". iRozhlas.cz. Czech Radio. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  9. ^ "Hudebník, Klausův muž i závodník. Kdo za Motoristy zasedne do Sněmovny". iDNES.cz. Mafra. 4 October 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  10. ^ Kučerová, Barbora (7 December 2024). "Motoristé sobě: Strana, která chce být pravicová, ale sklouzává k radikalismu". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  11. ^ Pokorná, Zdislava; Švec, Michael (10 October 2025). ""Popálit cikáně je polehčující okolnost, Obama je negr." Odhalujeme smazaný svět Filipa Turka" ["Burning a gypsy is an extenuating circumstance, Obama is a nigger." We reveal the erased world of Filip Turek]. Denník N (in Czech). N media. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  12. ^ a b Noska, Daniel (11 October 2025). "Je to závažné, reaguje Babiš na kauzu smazaných Turkových příspěvků. Plánuje schůzku s Motoristy" [It's serious, Babiš responds to the case of Turek's deleted posts. He plans a meeting with Motoristy]. Czech Radio (in Czech). Czech News Agency. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  13. ^ Adámek, Oliver. "Macinka roztrhal návrhy na změnu režimu, Okamura je chválil. Glosovali jsme konferenci spolku Svatopluk". Reflex (in Czech). Czech News Center. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  14. ^ Vokál, Vladimír. "Jste proruský, vmetl Hřib šéfovi Motoristů. Vy zase pročínský, kontroval Macinka". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mafra. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  15. ^ Jaňurek, Pavel (19 October 2025). "Na Hradčanském náměstí se demonstrovalo proti jmenování Macinky ministrem životního prostředí". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Borgis.
  16. ^ ""Climate Crisis Is Over" In The Czech Republic, Declares New Environment Minister". Brno Daily. Czech News Agency. 15 December 2025. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  17. ^ Pohanka, Vít (15 December 2025). "Incoming FM Macinka backs moving Czech embassy in Israel to Jerusalem". Radio Prague.
  18. ^ Ferenčík, Jakub (3 January 2026). "FM Macinka: What is important now is calming situation in Venezuela and diplomacy". Radio Prague. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
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