Social Democracy (Czech Republic) Explained

Social Democracy
Native Name:Sociální demokracie
Native Name Lang:cs
Abbreviation:SOCDEM
Leader:Michal Šmarda (outgoing)[1]
Leader3 Title:Senate Leader
Leader3 Name:Petr Vícha
Founders:Josef Boleslav Pecka
Ladislav Zápotocký
Headquarters:Lidový dům, Hybernská 7, Prague
Think Tank:Masaryk Democratic Academy
Wing1 Title:Women's wing
Wing1:Social Democratic Women
Wing2 Title:Religious wing
Wing2:Christian Social Platform
Youth Wing:Young Social Democrats
Membership Year:2023
Membership:6,500[2]
Ideology:Social democracy
Pro-Europeanism
Position:Centre-left[3]
European:Party of European Socialists
International:Progressive Alliance
Socialist International
Europarl:Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Colours: Pastel red
Slogan:Lidskost místo sobectví
(Humanity Instead of Selfishness)
Seats1 Title:Chamber of Deputies
Seats2 Title:Senate
Seats3 Title:European Parliament
Seats4 Title:Regional councils
Seats5 Title:Governors of the regions
Seats6 Title:Local councils
Country:the Czech Republic

Social Democracy (Czech: Sociální demokracie, SOCDEM), known as the Czech Social Democratic Party (Czech: Česká strana sociálně demokratická|links=no, ČSSD) until 10 June 2023, is a social-democratic[4] [5] political party in the Czech Republic.[6] Sitting on the centre-left of the political spectrum[7] and holding pro-European views,[8] [9] it is a member of the Party of European Socialists, the Socialist International, and the Progressive Alliance.[6] Masaryk Democratic Academy is the party-affiliated's think tank.[10]

The ČSSD was a junior coalition party within Andrej Babiš' Second Cabinet's minority government from June 2018, and was a senior coalition party from 1998 to 2006 and from 2013 to 2017. It held 15 seats in the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic following the 2017 Czech legislative election in which the party lost 35 seats.[6] From 2018 to 2021, the party was led by Jan Hamáček, who has since been replaced by Michal Šmarda as leader after the 2021 Czech legislative election, in which the party lost all of its seats after falling below 5%.

History

The Social Democratic Czechoslavonic party in Austria (Czech: Sociálně Demokratická strana Českoslovanská v Rakousku) was a political group founded on 7 April 1878 in Austria-Hungary as a regional wing of the Social Democratic Party of Austria. Founded in Břevnov atop earlier social democratic initiatives, such as the Ouls, it represented much of the Kingdom of Bohemia in the Austrian parliament, and its significant role in the political life of the empire was one of the factors that led to the creation of an independent Czechoslovakia. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary at the end of World War I, the party became one of the leading parties of the first Czechoslovak Republic. Its members were split over whether to join the Comintern, which in 1921 resulted in the fracturing of the party, with a large part of its membership then forming the new Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.

During the occupation of the Czech lands by Nazi Germany, the party was officially abolished, but its members organized resistance movements contrary to the laws of the German-controlled Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, both at home and abroad. After the re-establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1945, the party returned to its pre-war structure and became a member of the National Front which formed a new governing coalition. In 1948, after the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia gained a parliamentary majority, the Czech Social Democratic Party was incorporated into the Communist Party. At the time of the Prague Spring, a reformist movement in 1968, there were talks about allowing the recreation of a social democratic party, but Soviet intervention put an end to such ideas. It was only after the Velvet Revolution of 1989 that the party was recreated. Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which came into effect on 1 January 1993, the ČSSD has been one of the major political parties of the Czech Republic, and until October 2017 was always one of the two parties with the largest number of seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

At the 1998 Czech legislative election, the party won the largest number of seats but failed to form a coalition government, so formed a minority government under its leader Miloš Zeman. With only 74 seats out of 200, the government had confidence and supply from the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), under the so-called Opposition Agreement. At the 2002 Czech legislative election, the party gained 70 of the 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic. Its leader Vladimír Špidla became prime minister, heading a coalition with two small centre-right parties, the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU–ČSL) and the Freedom Union – Democratic Union (US-DEU) until he was forced to resign in 2004 after the ČSSD lost in the 2004 European Parliament election in the Czech Republic.

The next leader was Stanislav Gross, serving as leader from 26 June 2004 to 26 April 2005 and as prime minister from 4 August 2004 to 25 April 2005. He resigned after a scandal when he was unable to explain the source of money used to buy his house. The successor of Gross as prime minister was Jiří Paroubek, while Bohuslav Sobotka became acting party leader from 26 April 2005 to 13 May 2006. Paroubek was then elected as the new party leader in the run-up to the 2006 Czech legislative election, at which the party won 32.3% of the vote and 74 out of 200 seats. The election at first caused a stalemate, since the centre-right parties plus the Green Party and the centre-left parties each had exactly 100 seats. The stalemate was broken when two ČSSD deputies, Miloš Melčák and Michal Pohanka, abstained during a vote of confidence, allowing a coalition of the Civic Democrats (ODS), the KDU-ČSL, and the Green Party to form a government, while the ČSSD went into opposition.

At the 2010 Czech legislative election, the ČSSD gained 22.08% of the vote but remained the largest party, with 56 seats. Failing to form a governing coalition, it remained in opposition to a government coalition of the ODS, conservative TOP 09 and conservative-liberal Public Affairs parties. Paroubek resigned as leader on 7 June and was succeeded by Sobotka.[11] It remained the largest party after the 2013 Czech legislative election, and in December of the same year formed a governing coalition with the populist ANO 2011 and the centrist Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party.[12] The leader of ČSSD, Bohuslav Sobotka, became the new Prime Minister of the Czech Republic.[13]

The party suffered heavy losses in the 2017 Czech legislative election and was reduced to 15 seats, the worst result in its history. ČSSD suffered another defeat in the Prague Municipal, local and Senate elections in 2018. ČSSD lost 12 senators (only one managed to win re-election), all Prague deputies and more than half of their local councillors. In 2019 ČSSD lost all their representatives in the European Parliament. Some political commentators have interpreted the string of poor results as a sign of ČSSD losing their position in national politics.[14] ČSSD suffered another defeat in 2020 Regional Elections and Senate elections, when they lost 10 senators (none re-elected) and 97 regional deputies.[15] [16] From 2018 to 2021, ČSSD had Jan Hamáček as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Jana Maláčová as Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Lubomír Zaorálek as Minister of Culture, and Miroslav Toman as Minister of Agriculture. After the poor performance of the ČSSD in the 2021 Czech legislative election, in which the party failed to meet the 5% voting threshold, Hamáček resigned as leader of the party.[17]

Organization

Names

Czech lands as part of Austria-Hungary:

Czechoslovakia

Czech Republic

Policy positions

In economic matters, the ČSSD party platform is typical of Western European social democratic parties. It supports a mixed economy, a strong welfare state, and progressive taxation. In foreign policy, it supports European integration, including joining the Eurozone, and is critical of the foreign policy of the United States, especially when in opposition, though it does not oppose membership of the Czech Republic in NATO.

Membership

1990
12,954
199112,468
199211,797
199311,031
199410,482
199511,757
199613,043
199714,121
199817,343
199918,762
200017,079
200116,300
200217,026
200317,913
200416,658
200516,750
200617,650
200718,354
200820,684
200924,497
201024,486
201124,000
201223,802
201322,881
201423,202
201521,501
201620,349
201719,477
201817,208
201913,845
202013,139
202111,531
20229,403
20237,539
20246,500
1913
169,279
1932194,857
1935210,898
Further references[19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26]

Election results

Cisleithanian elections

Imperial Council elections

DateLeaderVotesSeatsPosition
No.%No.±Size
1907Antonín Němec389,960 8.5 226thOpposition
1911Antonín Němec357,2347.9 34thOpposition

Czechoslovakia wide elections

Legislative elections

DateLeaderVotesSeatsPosition
No.%No.±Size
1920Antonín Němec1,590,52025.7 741stCoalition
1925Antonín Hampl632,4038.9 454thCoalition
1929Antonín Hampl963,46213 102ndOpposition
1935Antonín Hampl1,032,77312.6 13rdCoalition
1946Zdeněk Fierlinger855,77112.1 15thCoalition
1948as part of National Front 143rdBloc
1954colspan="7" rowspan="7"
1960
1964
1971
1976
1981
1986
1990Jiří Horák342,4553.2 09thNo seats
1992Valtr Komárek
Alexander Dubček
648,1256.8 104thOpposition

Devolved assembly elections

Czech assembly elections

DateLeaderVotesSeatsPosition
No.%No.±Size
1990Jiří Horák296,1654.11 06thNo seats
1992Jiří Horák422,7366.53 163rdOpposition

Slovak assembly elections

DateLeaderVotesSeatsPosition
No.%No.±Size
1928Ivan Dérer96,9017.33 44th
1935Ivan Dérer11.3 05th

Czech Republic wide elections

Legislative elections

DateLeaderVotesSeatsPosition
No.%No.±Size
1996Miloš Zeman1,602,25026.4 452nd
1998Miloš Zeman1,928,66032.3 131stMinority
2002Vladimír Špidla1,440,27930.2 41stCoalition
2006Jiří Paroubek1,728,82732.3 42ndOpposition (2006–2009)
Coalition (2009–2010)
2010Jiří Paroubek1,155,26722.1 181stOpposition
2013Bohuslav Sobotka1,016,82920.5 61stCoalition
2017Lubomír Zaorálek368,3477.3 356thOpposition (2017–2018)
Coalition (2018–2021)
2021Jan Hamáček250,3974.7 156thNo seats

Senate elections

ElectionFirst roundSecond roundSeatsTotal seatsNotes
Votes%Runners-upPlace*Votes%Place*
1996559,30420.3 2nd733,71331.82ndThe whole Senate was elected. Only one third of Senate was elected in all subsequent elections.
1998208,845 21.7 3rd 121,70022.73rd
327 1.0 5th   By-election in Prague 1 district.
2000151,943 17.7 3rd 53,503 9.5 5th
2002122,397 18.4 2nd 224,386 27.3 2nd
2,424 6.8 6th   By-elections in Strakonice and Brno-city district.
5,203 14.7 3rd 5,358 20.51 3rd By-elections in Prague 4 and Znojmo districts.
200490,446 12.5 4th 24,923 5.2 4th
2006204,573 19.2 2nd 120,127 20.9 2nd
6,456 21.66 1st 4,338 21.54 2nd By-elections for Chomutov and Přerov
2008347,759 33.2 1st 459,829 55.9 1st
2010290,090 25.3 1st 299,526 44.0 1st
201112,088 44.31st 13,505 65.1 1st By-election in Kladno district
2012199,957 22.7 1st 207,064 40.3 1st
20143,69516.1 3rd   By-election in Zlín district
226,239 22.0 1st 165,629 35.01st
2,092 16.8 1st 3,664 50.9 1stBy-election in Prague 10 district, Ivana Cabrnochová was a Green Party candidate supported by ČSSD
128,875 14.6 2nd 55,622 13.1 3rd
1,294 5.7 6th   By-election in Trutnov district.
1,270 7.5 6th   By-election in Zlín district.
100,478 9.2 3rd 33,887 8.10 6th
2,674 13.9 3rd   By-election in Prague 9 district, Petr Daubner was a Czech Pirate Party candidate supported by ČSSD
81,105 8.1 5th 18,175 4.0 8th
43,870 3.9 7th 10,344 2.2 9th
Notes

Presidential elections

Indirect electionCandidateFirst round resultSecond round resultThird round result
Votes%ResultVotes%ResultVotes%Result
1998Václav Havel13070.6514652.3
2003
Jaroslav Bureš4617.04
Miloš Zeman8330.18
Jan Sokol12846.5512948.1312446.6
2008Jan Švejnar13849.8213548.7411344.84
12849.1014147.1911144.05
Direct electionCandidateFirst round resultSecond round result
Votes%ResultVotes%Result
2013Jiří Dienstbier Jr.829,29716.124thSupported Miloš Zeman
2018No candidate
2023withdrawn

European Parliament elections

ElectionList leaderVotes%Seats+/−EP Group
2004Libor Rouček204,9038.78 (#5)NewPES
2009Jiří Havel528,13222.39 (#2) 5S&D
2014Jan Keller214,80014.17 (#3) 3
2019Pavel Poc93,6643.95 (#8) 4
2024Lubomír Zaorálek55,2601.86 (#9) 0

Regional elections

Votes%Councillors
2000344,44114.67
2004297,08314.03
20081,044,71935.86
2012621,96123.58
2016386,15015.25
2020185,7146.71

Local elections

%Councillors
19948.71,628
199817.544,259
200215.574,664
200616.614,331
201019.684,584
201412.653,773
20185.171,882
20222.49799

Prague municipal elections

YearLeaderVote%Seats+/−PlacePosition
1990484,4845.64thOpposition
1994Jiří Paroubek2,435,2798.64thOpposition
1998Jiří Paroubek363,91717.553rdCoalition
2002Jiří Paroubek656,93614.723rdCoalition
2006Petra Buzková4,197,63115.92ndOpposition
2010Jiří Dienstbier Jr.615,20917.972ndCoalition
2014Miloslav Ludvík2,160,96310.4115thCoalition
2018Jakub Landovský727,8262.988thNo seats

Chairmen

Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party in Austria

Czechoslavonic Social Democratic Workers' Party

Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party

Czechoslovak Social Democracy

Czechoslovak Social Democracy in-exile

Czechoslovak Social Democracy

Czech Social Democratic Party

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.novinky.cz/clanek/domaci-prozil-jsem-velke-zklamani-smarda-po-volebnim-debaklu-socdem-svolal-sjezd-ktery-zvoli-nove-vedeni-40476309 Prožil jsem velké zklamání. Šmarda po debaklu SOCDEM svolal sjezd, který zvolí nové vedení
  2. Web site: Vládní strany ztrácí členy. Prim hrají fígle marketingových mágů, míní politologové . 7 April 2024 .
  3. Web site: European Election Watch Czech Republic . . . 4 January 2022 .
  4. Book: Paul G. Lewis. Political Parties in Post-Communist Eastern Europe. 2000. Routledge. 978-0-415-20182-7. 51.
  5. Book: Dimitri Almeida. The Impact of European Integration on Political Parties: Beyond the Permissive Consensus. 2012. CRC Press. 978-1-136-34039-0. 71.
  6. Web site: Nordsieck. Wolfram. October 2021. Czechia. Parties and Elections in Europe. 31 October 2021.
  7. Web site: Czech centre-left party approves joining coalition, new government close. Reuters. 2 June 2018.
  8. Web site: Hamáček dostal důvěru. ČSSD má teď být levicovým rebelem ve vládě. 20 October 2018.
  9. Book: Merle, Jean-Christophe. Die Legitimität von supranationalen Institutionen der EU Die Debatte in den neuen und alten Mitgliedstaaten Reihe. 2012. Lit Verlag. 978-3-643-11207-1. 255.
  10. Web site: Masarykova demokratická akademie. ČSSD. 2 June 2015.
  11. Web site: 2010-05-29. Šéf ČSSD Paroubek po volbách rezignoval. Prohráli obyčejní lidé, řekl. 2021-10-10. iDNES.cz. cs.
  12. Web site: Leos Rousek. Czechs Clear Way for Three-Party Coalition Government. The Wall Street Journal. 11 December 2013. 23 December 2017.
  13. Web site: 2014-01-17. Novým premiérem byl jmenován předseda ČSSD Bohuslav Sobotka. 2021-10-10. vlada.cz. cs.
  14. Web site: Eurovolby jsou pro ČSSD debaklem, potvrdili politologové. Globe24.cz. Czech News Agency. 27 May 2019.
  15. Web site: Czech Senate and regional elections 2020: Bitter victory for the Prime Minister, dominance of the opposition in the Senate . Heinrich Böll Stiftung.
  16. The 2020 Czech regional elections: A story of a winner that lost. 10.1080/13597566.2021.1948839. 2021. Kouba. Karel. Lysek. Jakub. Regional & Federal Studies. 32 . 4 . 485–497. 237827332 .
  17. Web site: 2021-10-09. Končím, prohlásil Hamáček po propadu ČSSD ve volbách. 2021-10-10. iDNES.cz. cs.
  18. Kowalski, Werner. Geschichte der sozialistischen Arbeiter-Internationale: 1923 – 1938, Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften, 1985. p. 327.
  19. Web site: ODS ztratila tři tisíce členů, Babiš láká více než Peake. 6 May 2013.
  20. Web site: Počet členů ANO strmě roste, Okamurův Úsvit zamrzl na devíti členech. 11 April 2014.
  21. Web site: ČSSD nevzkvétá. Jen letos odešlo dalších 2 500 členů. Seznam Zprávy. 25 July 2019 .
  22. Web site: ČSSD vysychá tradiční zdroj. Přišla o miliony od členů, kteří ji opustili. Seznam Zprávy. 8 April 2020 .
  23. Web site: Během posledního roku přišla sociální demokracie o 2000 členů. Novým hnutím naopak lidé přibývají. iROZHLAS. 30 December 2020 .
  24. Web site: Členská základna ODS je větší než ČSSD, z mladých uskupení nejvíce roste SPD. ČT24.
  25. Web site: Politické strany na vymření. Mizí jim straníci, nejvíce těm z levice. 27 July 2021. iDNES.cz.
  26. Web site: Během posledního roku přišla sociální demokracie o 2000 členů. Novým hnutím naopak lidé přibývají . iROZHLAS . 30 December 2020 . 29 March 2021 . cs.