TOP 09 explained

Leader:Markéta Pekarová Adamová
Leader1 Title:Deputy Leaders
Leader1 Name:Vlastimil Válek
Tomáš Czernin
Matěj Ondřej Havel
Michal Kučera
Martina Ochodnická
Leader2 Title:Chamber of Deputies Leader
Leader2 Name:Jan Jakob
Leader3 Title:MEP Leader
Leader3 Name:Luděk Niedermayer
Founders:Miroslav Kalousek
Karel Schwarzenberg
Split:KDU–ČSL[1]
Headquarters:Opletalova 1603/57, Prague
Position:Centre-right[2]
Membership Year:2021
Membership:2,481[3]
National:SPOLU
International:International Democracy Union
Youth Wing:TOP Team
European:European People's Party
Europarl:European People's Party
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
Colours:
Website:www.top09.cz
Country:the Czech Republic

TOP 09 (Czech: Tradice Odpovědnost Prosperita|lit=Tradition Responsibility Prosperity)[4] is a liberal-conservative[5] [6] political party in the Czech Republic, led by Markéta Pekarová Adamová. 14 of its members sit in the Chamber of Deputies, and three of them are MEPs.

History

Foundation and participation in government

The party was founded on 11 June 2009 by Miroslav Kalousek who left the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party.[7] Its first leader was Karel Schwarzenberg, who had previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the second Topolánek cabinet from January 2007 to March 2009, having been nominated by the Green Party for the post, and who had been elected to the Senate in 2004 as nominee of the Freedom Union – Democratic Union (US-DEU) and Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) parties.[8] [9]

In the 2010 parliament elections on 28–29 May 2010, TOP 09 received 16.7% of the vote and 41 seats, becoming the third largest party.[10] The party joined the Nečas cabinet, forming a coalition with the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and Public Affairs (VV).[11]

In September 2010 TOP 09 applied to join the European People's Party. Karel Schwarzenberg had already officially participated in two EPP summits (15 September[12] and 16 December 2010[13]). On 10 February 2011 TOP 09 was granted permission to join the EPP.[14]

In the 2013 legislative election on 25–26 October 2013, TOP 09 won 12% of the vote and 26 seats. The party became part of the parliamentary opposition to the Sobotka cabinet.

Opposition and cooperation with STAN and ODS

In the 2014 European elections on 24 and 25 May 2014, TOP 09 reached second place nationally with 15.95% of the vote, electing 4 MEPs.

Karel Schwarzenberg left the position of leader in 2015. He was replaced by Miroslav Kalousek afterwards.

In March 2016, Karel Tureček left the party and joined ANO 2011, which left TOP 09 with 25 MPs.[15] In May 2016, Pavol Lukša, one of founders of TOP 09, left the party and established a new party, Good Choice.[16]

The 2016 Czech regional elections were a major loss for TOP 09. The party gained only 19 seats and 3.4% of the vote. Miroslav Kalousek then considered resigning, but decided to remain the party’s leader.[17]

In January 2017, TOP 09 introduced a new program called Vision 2030, in which it declared intentions to adopt the Euro, implement electronical voting, and increase health standards in Czechia to Germany's level. TOP 09 also wanted to shorten the working week to 4 days. Miroslav Kalousek said he believed that TOP 09 would get over 10% in the upcoming legislative election even though recent opinion polls indicated that TOP 09 might not reach the 5% threshold.[18] [19]

Ahead of the 2017 parliamentary elections, TOP 09 was endorsed by The Czech Crown, Conservative Party, Club of Committed Non-Party Members and Liberal-Environmental Party.[20] [21] The party eventually received 5.3% of the vote, gaining 7 seats. Jiří Pospíšil became the new leader after the election.[22]

In the next year municipal elections TOP 09 got only 1.1 per cent of the vote nationally. The best performance for the party was in the Prague City council elections, following which it joined a coalition with the Czech Pirate Party and Prague Together.

In November, 2019, Markéta Pekarová Adamová was elected party’s leader.[23] In late 2020, TOP 09 formed an electoral alliance with KDU-ČSL and ODS called SPOLU, to run in the 2021 elections.[24] The alliance won the popular vote and formed a coalition with the Pirates and Mayors alliance. As a result of agreements made to form these alliances, TOP 09 leader Markéta Pekarová Adamová became President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic.

On 20 November 2021 Pekarová Adamová was reelected in a TOP 09 leadership election, with 163 out of 176 votes, being the only candidate.[25]

On 11 November 2023 Pekarová Adamová was reelected in a TOP 09 leadership election, with 142 out of 177 votes, being the only candidate.[26]

Ideology

TOP 09 is characterised most prominently by its fiscal conservatism and its pro-Europeanism,[27] being firmly in favour of European integration.[28] Generally, the party is considered to lean towards both liberal and conservative strains of right-of-centre thought, gradually becoming increasingly liberal compared to its official stance of conservatism.[29]

Election results

Below are charts of the results that the TOP09 has secured in the Chamber of Deputies, Senate, European Parliament, and regional assemblies at each election.

Chamber of Deputies

YearLeaderVoteVote %Seats+/−PlacePosition
2010Karel Schwarzenberg873,83316.73rd
2013Karel Schwarzenberg596,357 12.0 154th
2017Miroslav Kalousek268,811 5.3 198th
2021Markéta Pekarová Adamová1,493,70127.7971st
Part of SPOLU coalition, which won 71 seats in total

Senate

ElectionFirst roundSecond roundSeatsTotal seats+/-
Votes%PlacesVotes%Places
165,277 14.40 3rd 51,310 7.54 3rd 2
20111 2,053 7.514th  
57,907 6.59 5th 9,918 1.93 5th 2
92,137 8.98 5th 30,476 6.43 6th
20142 2,055 15.55 3rd  
70,653 8.02 6th 30,820 7.27 5th
20183 7,61533.51 1st 30,331 67.11 1st
41,980 3.85 7th 22,580 5.40 8th 1
46,575 4.67 7th 33,938 7.51 4th 2

Notes:
1 By-election in Kladno district.
2 By-election in Prague 10 district
3 By-election in Trutnov district. TOP 09 supported a STAN candidate Jan Sobotka.

Presidential

ElectionCandidateFirst round resultSecond round result
Votes%VotesResultVotes%VotesResult
2013Karel Schwarzenberg1,204,19523.402,241,17145.20
2018Jiří Drahoš1,369,60126.602,701,20648.63
2023Petr Pavel1,975,05635.403,358,92658.33
Danuše Nerudová777,08013.93supported Petr Pavel
Pavel Fischer376,7056.75supported Petr Pavel

European Parliament

ElectionList leaderVotes%Seats+/–EP Group
2014Luděk Niedermayer241,74715.95 (#2)NewEPP
2019Jiří Pospíšil276,22011.65 (#4) 1
2024Alexandr Vondra661,25022.27 (#2) 0

Local election

YearVoteVote %Seats
20108,537,4619.5
20148,324,1958.4
20181,241,9764.8

Prague municipal elections

YearLeaderVoteVote %Seats+/−PlacePosition
2010Zdeněk Tůma1,043,00830.21st
2014Tomáš Hudeček4,158,22620.1102nd
2018Jiří Pospíšil4,127,06316.334th

Regional election

YearVoteVote %Seats+/-PlaceNote
2012175,089 6.65th
201686,164 3.4 9th
2020Party didn't run on a single list1 9th[30]

2020 Czech regional election results[31]

RegionCoalition partner
  1. of
    overall votes
% of
overall vote
SeatsGovernance[32]
±Position
Central BohemianGreens and Voice24,6505.89 3 5th
South BohemianKDU-ČSL20,79810.45 7th
PlzeňODS36,89021.23 1 7th
Karlovy VarySTAN11,70014.66 10th
Ústí nad LabemGreens and SNK ED12,2206.11 1 8th
LiberecKDU-ČSL5,3283.83 7th
Hradec KrálovéHradec Králové Democratic Club13,8917.84 3 10th
PardubiceODS23,43414.10 2 8th
VysočinaKAN and Czech Crown7,972 4.99 8th
South MoravianGreens24,039 6.62 1 6th
OlomoucKDU-ČSL and Greens34,519 18.43 2 7th
ZlínSTAN24,39612.69 1 10th
ODS43,63713.84 1 7th

Leaders

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Zdenka Mansfeldová. The Czech Republic. Sten Berglund. Joakim Ekman. Kevin Deegan-Krause. Terje Knutsen. The Handbook of Political Change in Eastern Europe. https://books.google.com/books?id=hmtuqFnuDZwC&pg=PA232. 2013. Edward Elgar Publishing. 978-1-78254-588-0. 232.
  2. Web site: Foreign Policy Centre: Articles and Briefings / Necas in a bind: The Eurozone fiscal compact and the Czech Republic. 25 May 2016.
  3. Web site: Česká televize . Členská základna ODS je větší než ČSSD, z mladých uskupení nejvíce roste SPD . ČT24. 30 November 2021 . cs.
  4. Book: Tom Lansford. Political Handbook of the World 2015. 2015. SAGE Publications. 978-1-4833-7155-9. 1660.
  5. Book: Maciej Stobinski. Twenty years of the Czech party system: 1992–2011. Lucyna Czechowska. Krzysztof Olszewski. Central Europe on the Threshold of the 21st Century: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Challenges in Politics and Society. https://books.google.com/books?id=SdsxBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA296. 2014. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 978-1-4438-6483-1. 296.
  6. Book: Otto Eibl. Michal Pink. Election Results, Candidate Lists and the Framing of Campaigns. Ruxandra Boicu. Silvia Branea. Adriana Stefanel. Political Communication and European Parliamentary Elections in Times of Crisis: Perspectives from Central and South-Eastern Europe. https://books.google.com/books?id=Y9vQDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA258. 2016. Palgrave Macmillan UK. 978-1-137-58591-2. 258.
  7. News: Tschechien: Jugend vereint gegen Linksparteien . Alexandra . Klausmann . . 21 May 2010 . de . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110606122248/http://www.wienerzeitung.at/default.aspx?tabID=3861&alias=wzo&cob=494591 . 6 June 2011.
  8. News: Schwarzenberg to be Kalousek's Czech TOP 09 party leader . . 11 June 2009 .
  9. http://en.top09.cz/about-us/presidency/karel-schwarzenberg-1727.html "Karel Schwarzenberg"
  10. Web site: Official results of election to the Parliament of the Czech Republic 2010 . Volby.cz . 29 May 2010 . 14 April 2011.
  11. Book: Sten Berglund. The Handbook of Political Change in Eastern Europe. 2013. Edward Elgar Publishing. 978-1-78254-588-0. 231–232.
  12. Web site: EPP welcomes European Council conclusions; Roma issue should not be exploited . Epp.eu . 16 September 2010 . 14 April 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720094835/http://www.epp.eu/press.asp?artid=1449&fullview=1 . 20 July 2011 .
  13. Web site: EPP official website . Epp.eu . 14 April 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720094959/http://www.epp.eu/press.asp?artid=1514&fullview=1 . 20 July 2011 .
  14. Web site: TOP 09 členem nejsilnější evropské strany . TOP 09. 14 April 2011.
  15. Web site: Kopecký. Josef. Turečka vyhodili z klubu TOP 09. Politika "Antibabiš" je mi cizí, říká. iDNES.cz. 12 May 2016. 10 March 2016.
  16. Web site: TOP 09 leading politician Lukša establishes new party. Prague Monitor. 12 May 2016.
  17. Web site: Česká televize. Kalousek chce vědět, zda má pokračovat. Jeho TOP 09 ve volbách pohořela. ČT24. 12 October 2016.
  18. Web site: Třináctiletka TOP 09 počítá s internetovými volbami i zavedením eura. Novinky.cz. 29 January 2017. cs.
  19. Web site: TOP 09 slibuje životní úroveň jako v Německu do 2030 a boj za střední třídu. iDNES.cz. 29 January 2017. 28 January 2017.
  20. Web site: Novotný. Svatopluk. SPOLEČNÉ TISKOVÉ PROHLÁŠENÍ politických subjektů: Koruna Česká (monarchistická strana Čech, Moravy a Slezska), Konzervativní strana a Klub angažovaných nestraníků - Koruna Česká - monarchistická strana Čech, Moravy a Slezska. Korunaceska.cz. 13 June 2017. cs.
  21. Web site: Konzervativní strana: Viribus Unitis. Konzervativnistrana.cz. 13 June 2017.
  22. Web site: Janetta. Roubková. Nový předseda TOP 09 je Pospíšil, první místopředsedkyní Pekarová. 'Jdeme pracovat na komunálních volbách.'. 26 November 2017. irozhlas.cz. 28 November 2017.
  23. Web site: Navzdory Kalouskovi. Novou předsedkyní TOP 09 je Pekarová Adamová . Novinky.cz . 25 November 2019.
  24. Web site: ODS, KDU-ČSL a TOP 09 jdou do voleb jako koalice SPOLU. Daly 17 slibů . Seznamzpravy.cz . 9 December 2020.
  25. Web site: Josef. Kopecký. Pekarová obhájila post šéfky TOP 09. Chce pomoci Bělorusům svrhnout diktárora. iDnes.cz. 20 November 2021 . 20 November 2021.
  26. Web site: Oldřich. Danda. Pekarová je staronovou šéfkou TOP 09. Nesmíme propadnout sebeklamu o své neomylnosti, říká. Novinky.cz. 11 November 2023 . 11 November 2023.
  27. Book: Dan Marek. Michael Baun. The Czech Republic and the European Union. 2010. Routledge. 978-1-136-94098-9. 45.
  28. Book: Michal Klima. Czech Republic. Donatella M. Viola. Routledge Handbook of European Elections. https://books.google.com/books?id=7stgCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA554. 2015. Routledge. 978-1-317-50363-7. 554.
  29. Web site: Vyhledávání v repozitáři. is.cuni.cz.
  30. Including one member elected as a nominee of Mayors and Independents
  31. Web site: Jmenné seznamy | volby.cz. volby.cz.
  32. Web site: Přehledně: Všechny kraje už mají vedení. Starostové a ODS získali čtyři hejtmany | Aktuálně.cz. 19 November 2020. Aktuálně.cz - Víte, co se právě děje.