Starostové a nezávislí (STAN / Mayors and Independents)

EU RANK: 35 (Tier 2: High Performance)

STAN is a centrist, pro‑EU party rooted in local government, bringing together mayors and independent municipal leaders focused on decentralisation, good governance and regional development. It has become a key coalition partner at the national level, including in the current government, while retaining strong local bases.

Disinformation and alternative media

STAN communicates via regional and national mainstream media plus strong local networks; it does not own national media assets. Its messaging emphasises practical issues—education, infrastructure, municipal finance—alongside pro‑EU and pro‑Ukraine positions, which have made it a target for disinformation from pro‑Kremlin and far‑right networks.

Research notes episodes where STAN figures were smeared in false narratives about migration and alleged corruption, but we found no evidence that STAN itself organises disinformation campaigns. Disinformation/alternative‑media risk is low–medium.

Foreign influence and external alignments

STAN is clearly pro‑EU and pro‑NATO, supporting sanctions on Russia and military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and backing EU rule‑of‑law mechanisms. It favours diversified energy sources and is cautious about Chinese investments in strategic sectors, mirroring wider government policy.

There is no documentation of structural ties to hostile‑state networks; foreign‑influence concerns focus on broader Czech vulnerabilities rather than on STAN specifically. Foreign‑influence DMI risk is low–medium.

Media capture, advertising and public service media

Because STAN’s strength lies in municipalities and regions, it has influence over local advertising budgets and ownership structures in some local outlets. Our media‑ties study notes cases where STAN‑affiliated mayors have supported friendly local media through municipal contracts, though usually on a smaller scale than oligarch‑owned national outlets.

At national level STAN supports independence of Česká televize and Český rozhlas and has opposed attempts by illiberal actors to restructure these institutions. Media‑capture DMI risk is medium: limited at national scale but present via local clientelism.

Corruption, litigation and institutional integrity

Litigation records show that STAN has faced some notable corruption‑related controversies, particularly around regional transport and procurement networks (e.g. the “Dozimetr” affair implicating figures linked to Prague transport and STAN representatives). While the party leadership has distanced itself and some officials resigned, the case revealed vulnerabilities in oversight of public contracts in areas where STAN was influential.

Overall the party still positions itself as pro‑transparency, but these scandals raise its corruption and institutional‑integrity risk to medium–high.

Press freedom, harassment and treatment of media

STAN generally supports media freedom and public‑service broadcasting and does not have a record of orchestrated harassment of journalists. However, local‑level dependencies between municipalities and outlets, through advertising and ownership, can indirectly limit critical coverage of STAN‑affiliated mayors.

The party’s national leaders tend to respond to investigative reporting with political and legal rebuttals rather than smear campaigns, but the impact of scandals like Dozimetr has strained relations with some investigative outlets. Press‑freedom and harassment DMI risk is medium.

Dimension	Risk level	Short justification
Disinformation & alternative media	Low–Medium	Uses mainstream and local media; more often a target of disinfo than a source.
Foreign influence & external alignments	Low–Medium	Pro‑EU/NATO, supports sanctions and diversification; no hostile‑state ties.
Media‑capture & advertising / PSB control	Medium	Some local‑level clientelism via municipal advertising and contracts; nationally backs PSB independence.
Corruption & institutional‑integrity risk	Medium–High	Exposed by cases like Dozimetr involving STAN‑linked officials in procurement networks.
Press‑freedom & harassment of media	Medium	Generally respects media freedom, but local financial dependencies can chill criticism.