Political system in transformation and Transformation of party system Czech experience

1
Political system in transformationandTransformat
ion of party systemCzech experience

• Jirí Hudecek
• hj321(at)centrum.cz

2
Why history, why Czech experience

• Co jste vy, byli jsme i my,
• co jsme my, budete i vy
• What you are we have been,
• what we are, you will become

3
What is special in the Czech situation?

• - persistence of a (rather) strong Radical Left
• (CPBM)
• - quite conservative political landscape
  (electoral results since mid-90s 25-30 both main
  parties /ODS, CSSD/, 15 CPBM, 8 KDU, changes
  only in the resting 10)
• - society shy of protest

4
Common features

• Comon to (all?) post-socialist countries
• - governing capitalist tendency of transformation
  (privatization, creation of a rich class)
• - prevalence of capitalist social concept in
  case of CR somewhat surprising (LR approx.
  5050)
• - dominance of right in opinion making

5
A bit of history - 1989-90

• Dominant force of political transformation
• Civic forum (Obcanské forum)
• - parties are for party members, OF for all
• - nejsme jako oni , pravda a láska
• (we are different /from former power holders/)
• Mixed force (liberal left, former communists)
• Surprisingly good result of CPBM (in
  trnasfromation)

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Second revolution - 1990

• Started (symbolically) 21 August 1990 by a speech
  of V. Havel
• Most important factors anticommunism
  (decomunisation), attacking the old
  structures
• Soon the center of gravity towards V. Klaus,
  formation of ODS, fast decline of OF/OH/SD
• Starting point for the political (medial)
  dominance of right, neoliberal, openly capitalist
  views.

7
Development on the Left - 1990-6

• Key factors strong traditions of SD and C
• Slow start of CSSD exile leaders, OF SD
  fraction
• 1992/3 ascendence of M. Zeman
• Communist party - struggles for transformation
• several splits, finally traditionalist group
  victorious
• (1996)

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Why left 50 invisible?

• Media dominated by the political right
• Finances
• Prague
• Intelectuals majority (now?) right wing
• ? Acceptance of inequality
• ? Impotence of the political left?