Czech political parties

1.       Integration functions – they unite the interests of citizens (even though parties don’t agree on everything),

2.       mediating functions – they propose candidates that we meet and vote for,

3.       mobilization functions – they address voters and try to involve them in politics,

4.       constitutional functions – they form the government and are responsible for the exercise of power,

recruitment functions – they select and educate future elites

o   Before CS Republic already!

o   1848 first Party was established in CR (but in this time not everyone was legal to vote, e.g. just men etc, its really the beginning) à just one party

1850/1860: more parties were established bc people were unsatisfied with how “old parties” ruled.

o   Also: right to vote become more inclusive

o   At this time most of the CR parties from nowadays were formed

o   Communism: one-party-system (try to pretend that there is a democratic system, but you didn’t have the opportunity to vote sth else than communist party, rest was banned) à many people were forced to become members of the party ( out of academic/profession reasons etc)

o   Civic forum (“opposition” party —> “parties are for party members, civic forum is for everyone”, led by Vaclav Havel

o   Velvet Revolution led to more variety in parties:

§  Most important parties in 1990ies early 2000

§  ODS: civic democratic party (right wing party) (leader Klaus)

§  SOC: social democratic party (left wing party) (leader: Milos)

o   7 parties in Chamber of deputies today

—>  Social democrats & communists parties are gone (first time they didn’t make it to the parliament) à first time in 2021, big shift

·       ANO populist party (without a specific ideology, without right or left wing specifization, try to get people from both “sides”)

·       Pirate party (most successful in CR compared to other European countries)

·       ODS

·       KDU-CSL

·       SPD (freedom, nationalist party, anti EU, anti migration)

·       Top09 (liberal right wing party)

·       Starotove

ANO has one third of the votes (33,3%, most popular)

·       More “left wing” party then the others, but actually populist

§  5 parties form the opposition which are more right wing

ANO has one third of the votes (33,3%, most popular)

·       More “left wing” party then the others, but actually populist

§  5 parties form the opposition which are more right wing

o   Parties doesn’t operate in the classical term of parties (demorcratic, voting ministers etc)

o   It works like in a company: one leader, others are following

o   Why? -> because of the funding —> who pays, rules => second richest man of CR “owns” the SPD

• Claims to “Focus on policies to please people”, “against the elite”

• Populism is “a thin-centered ideology that considers society to be ultimately separated into two homogeneous and antagonistic camps, ‘the pure people’ (“good”) versus ‘the corrupt elite’ (“evil”), and which argues that politics should be an expression of the volonté générale (general will) of the people.”

• Focus not on policial program, they adapt quiet quickly to circumstances

-          Rules/policies for parties and movements are same

-          But: being a movement (e.g. ANO is calling itself “movement”, not “politican”) is more convenient and sounds better than being party (aóut of the communist era)

-          Happens really rarely, in all history once:

-          In 2010, the Workers' Party was dissolved by the Supreme Administrative Court.

o   Ideological connection to national socialism and neo-Nazism.

o   Promoting violence

The parties own ressources:

-          membership fees,

-          contributions from representatives,

-          income from rental and sale of real estate

External party sources:

- income from business (through e.g. trading companies),

- donations and sponsoring (however, they may not be, for example, municipalities, contribution organizations or foreign companies or persons) -> you cannot be financed by foreign companies or organizations,

- loans and credits

state contributions (70% of income) à independency is greater than donations or sponsoring à the support is based on the success of the parties in the election

Why still so many people in communist/christian party, if the elections were that bad for them? —> historican reasons -> not new members, theyre still there since communist times -> average age 75 y/o => no active members

-          Most parties have their youth organizations.

-          People between the ages of 15-35 can often be members.

-          There are also, for example, Social Democratic Women.

-          The parties are often referred to as left-wing and right-wing.

-          The division is based on the approach to the degree of redistribution in society.

-          But the parties also differ on other dimensions – for example, the relationship to the EU or the environment.

-          We can identify the party system as a moderate pluralism.

Pluralism as a political philosophy is the recognition and affirmation of diversity within a political body, which is seen to permit the peaceful coexistence of different interests, convictions, and lifestyles

• ANO dominated in the election ( most MPs), but didnt have the majorits of 101

• couldnt find a suitable coalation partner

• thats why the other parties together form the coalition