Activists believe in the success and commitment of the new referendum in Brno

Brno - Environmental activists believe that a possible new referendum on the location of the Brno railway station will attract enough voters, and politicians will thus have to respect the outcome. Although the majority of people expressed support for a station in the center during voting nine years ago, few showed up at the polls. Consequently, the referendum was invalid, and preparations for the relocation of the railway hub continued. However, since then laws have changed, and only a turnout of 35 percent of voters is needed for the referendum to be valid. The referendum could be held alongside the municipal elections in 2014, representatives from Dětí Země, Hnutí Duha, and the Masaryk Democratic Academy told reporters today.
    Activists draw inspiration from Plzeň, where citizens expressed their discontent with the construction of a giant shopping center. "If it was possible to organize a legally binding referendum in Plzeň for a project that has far less significance for the city, with all due respect, than the potential relocation of the station, there is no reason why we should not succeed in Brno," said activist and journalist Jakub Patočka, a member of the Masaryk Democratic Academy, an organization close to the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD), to reporters today.
    Patočka sent an open letter to Brno's mayor Roman Onderka (ČSSD) last week. According to him, the mayor must either convince the council by the end of October about the reconstruction of the station in its current location or propose a new referendum. If the politicians do not initiate a vote, the activists will do it again, just as they did in 2004.
    Onderka told ČTK that he will likely send the letter to the heads of political clubs in the Brno council asking for their opinions. "I see open letters as a continuation of unsuccessful communication or a means to draw attention to the writer. Since the person in question has not communicated with me, I consider this letter as raising an electoral issue or an attempt at self-promotion," Onderka stated. His deputy and party colleague Ladislav Macek said on Friday that in his opinion the location of the station has practically already been decided - it will be at the relocated position by the river.
    Since the last vote ten years ago, according to Dětí Země chairman Miroslav Patrik, not much has changed in the plans of the city and the state - preparations for the relocation continue. The territorial proceedings, which began in 2005, are ongoing. "As a result, the construction still lacks a territorial decision, so it cannot apply for European funds," Patrik said.
    Ironically, the civic coalition Nádraží v centru, which initiated the original voting, opposes the new referendum. The Ministry of Transport ordered the Railway Infrastructure Administration last year to fully work out the option of the station at its current location, which activists claim has completely changed the situation. After processing the second option, it will be possible to compare both options and make a final decision, said media coordinator of the civic coalition Nádraží v centru Svatopluk Bartík. However, the coalition is not united; for example, Děti Země supports the new referendum. According to Patrik, the tenth anniversary of the first vote is an ideal opportunity to re-mobilize the public and give them a chance to express themselves.
    The reconstruction of the railway hub in Brno has been in preparation for decades, and funding is still lacking. The estimated costs are 20 billion crowns.