Petr Fiala has been the leader of the party since 2014. Leadership elections are held every two years. Fiala was reelected for a fourth term in 2020, but his reelection was overshadowed by the defeat of his Deputy Leader Alexandra Udženija and the candidacy of controversial politician for Deputy leader.[2][3] Support for ODS in opinion polls stagnated during 2020,[4] and Fiala decided to form an electoral alliance with KDU-ČSL and TOP 09,[5] under the name SPOLU. It was reported that some members of ODS did not agree with the alliance.[6] Martin Kuba, the Governor of the South Bohemian Region, expressed his opposition to the alliance in January and February 2021. Kuba received widespread media attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, triggering tabloid speculation that he would eventually replace Fiala.[7][8]
SPOLU received 27.8% of votes in the 2021 Czech legislative election and finished first. As a result Fiala became Prime Minister of the Czech Republic,[9] and subsequently confirmed his candidacy.[10] The election was scheduled for 15 January 2022, but was postponed till Spring 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11][12]
Pavel Blažek, former Minister of Justice. Parlamentní listy reported in October 2021 that Blažek had strong support within the party for a potential candidacy if ODS did not perform well in the upcoming legislative election.[13]
Martin Kuba, Governor of South Bohemian region. Kuba's media profile increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, triggering speculation that he would replace Fiala as the leader of ODS.[14][15][16]
