Volume 12, Issue 2S

Issue published: 30 November 2016
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Nové politické strany: novost, teoretické koncepty a možnosti jejich využití v ČR

Daniel Šárovec, p. 9–27

Abstract: This study analyzes some chosen aspects of new political parties. Concepts analyzing this topic are widely used approximately from 80’s and there is quite a variable amount of different approaches to this phenomenon. There is neccessary to define what the newness really is so one of the objects of study is to bring a more comprehensive point of view of main research stream. Theoretical concepts based on newness are not so often applied in the Czech Republic in general. It is evident that the Czech party system has been fundamentally changed in 2010 and 2013 Chamber of Deputies Election by a several newcomers. And this change is one of the apparent indicators showing the importance of new Czech parties in the past, as well as in the present. Most of general approaches to this topic entirely use an original way of analyzing but there is rather relevant to take a specific features of the Czech system into consideration.

Keywords: newness, theories of newness, new parties, political parties, Czech party system, Czech Republic


Strany mezery v České republice: Analýza politických stran v České republice z hlediska jejich „mezernosti“?

Jaroslav Bílek a Michal Škop, p. 29–43

Abstract: The research on niche parties has recently become one of the relevant agenda in current research concerning political parties in Europe. Since the first concepts (Meguid 2005; Adams et al. 2006) have dealt with a series of troubles, an emergence of several more profound concepts of niche parties in the last years occurred (Meyer and Miller 2015; Bischof 2015; Škop 2016). The aim of this article is to introduce these conceptsand employ them for the analysis of the political parties in the Czech Republic after the last national elections. Building on the quantitative analysis and triangulation, the acquired results then enable us to declare that the applied methods are in a consensus that the closest to be characterized as the niche party were in 2013 ‘Strana práv občanů Zemanovci’ and ‘Úsvit přímé demokracie’ founded by Tomio Okamura. Disputing the previous research (Cabada and Vansa 2013) and the theoretical expectation (Meguid 2005) the analysis outcomes further illustrate that ‘Strana zelených’ is remarkablyclose to what is called the mainstream of the party system.

Keywords: Czech Republic, issue competition, mainstream parties, niche parties, green parties


Křivda jako příležitost pro nové politické strany? Kotleba – Lidová strana Naše Slovensko na cestě do parlamentu

Pavel Maškarinec a Petr Bláha, p. 45–66

Abstract: This article presents an analysis of the Kotleba – People’s Party Our Slovakia (Kotleba‑LSNS) electoral success in the 2016 Slovak parliamentary election. We use the grievance theory for explaining the reasons behind inter‑regional variation of the Kotleba‑LSNS electoral support, together with an analysis of the spatial variability of the party’s electoral results and time‑space stability of its voting patterns. We use two grievance mobilization models which focus on economic changes and ethnic conflict, testing these models on aggregate regional data. The study finds that the explanatory capacity of grievance theory mobilization models is very low, especially economic grievances. Furthermore, the Kotleba‑LSNS success in the 2016 election, which was accompanied by the significant decline in interregional variation of the party support, resulted in significant rise of explanatory power of status and contextual factors. We conclude that the success of the Kotleba‑LSNS in 2016 is possible to explain rather by protest vote than issue voting, with protest aiming to the established parties, rather than mobilizing economic or ethnic grievances.

Keywords: Slovakia, new parties, grievance theory, grievance mobilization, economic grievance, ethnic grievance, Kotleba – People’s Party Our Slovakia


Český stranický system v roce 2016: personalizační tendence, populismus a anti‑politické přístupy

Ladislav Cabada, p. 67–76

Abstract: The aim of this article is to present short analysis of the development of Czech party system from the situation of semi‑polarized pluralism towards the extreme and polarized pluralism since the end of 2000s. With special attention we focuson the genesis and performance of business‑firm and anti‑political political subjects/parties. Their development, programmatic unclearness and especially the position of the most successful of these parties – ANO 2011 – are analysed based on the concepts of challenger/new parties and anti‑poliitcal/populist attitudes. Our analysis includes the attempts of liberal‑conservative political camp to prevent the populist attitudes represented mainly by the ANO 2011, as well as practical consequences of anti‑political rhetoric of this party after regional elections in autumn 2016.

Keywords: Czech Republic, challenger parties, populism, anti‑politics, political entrepreneur, ANO 2011


Strany mezery a parlamentní demokracie

Ján Liďák a Vladimír Srb, p. 77–90

Abstract: Transformation of political system in Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, brought renewal of parliamentarism. Parliament became the maininstitution of the political system. However gradually some political parties especially those subjects, which are not ideologically clear, represent tendency to establish elements of direct democracy or to reduce parliamentary model. Many politicians (for instance Andrej Babiš) use parliamentary dictionary with no problems, even though many times it is not so far from rhetoric of totalitarian political systems. The etude studies relationships of these political parties and parliamentary democracy in Czech Republic and Slovak Republic.

Keywords: parliamentarism, political parties, transition, democracy


Labilita stranických systémů v postkomunistickém prostoru EU. Příčiny, důsledky, souvislosti

Karel Vodička, p. 91–109

Abstract: This article focuses on the labil party systems in postcommunist countries within EU. Author searches for causes of the lability in economic indexes. Next questionis focused on consequences caused by labil party systems specific in the postcommunist area within EU member states. Article highlightes context why labil party systems emerges and how they influences states themselves. Author uses analogies and shows structural similarities of chosen countries.

Keywords: EU postcommunist area, deficits in process of consolidation, lability of party system