Political

In its post-election survey, the Public Opinion Research Centre, inter alia, on shifts in voter support. This print information is based on a comparison between the real decisions of respondents in the recent election and responses about which party they voted in the June 1998 election to the Chamber of Deputies. Our findings indicate that over a tenth (11%) of those who now voted for the KSCM, had supported the CSSD in the previous election.

Four fifths (79 %) of the respondents agree with the opinion that deputies should above all follow the programme, with which their party went to the elections. However, at the same time 69 % of the interviewees expressed the view that deputies in the Chamber of Deputies should above all promote the interests of regions, where they had been elected. 73 % of citizens think that deputies should have some previous experience with local or regional government.

In late June and early July, the Public Opinion Research Centre focused on citizen satisfaction with the results of the election to the Chamber of Deputies. Over a quarter (28%) of respondents expressed that they were roughly half satisfied with the results. As regards those who provided a more exact opinion, the satisfied outweighed the dissatisfied in a ratio of 31% to 25%. 16% of respondents were unable to answer.

The president is trusted by 54% and not trusted by 41% of the respondents. It is possible to say that the level of confidence in the president has been stable for the period of at least two years now. The leaving government enjoyed confidence of 43% of the interviewees and was not trusted by 49%. The current evaluation of the government corresponds with the results obtained right after its formation in September 1998.

The results from early June show that 56% of respondents take a critical view of how parties behave, of which 34% generally dislike the behaviour of parties and 22% say that the situation makes them disgusted. On the other hand, 27% of those polled are critical of some parties only and 4% express general satisfaction with how political parties behave. Relative satisfaction with how parties behave has been reported among people with good living standards and supporters of the ODS and the CSSD.

During the last two months before the parliamentary election when the election campaign was becoming more intensive, there was a modest increase in the number of respondents (to 48%) saying that they find the campaign annoying. In contrast, fewer respondents held the opinion that the campaign is necessary and influences the election outcome. Political activities of respondents did not change before the election.

Shortly before the parliamentary election, only 14% of respondents classified themselves as staunch supporters. On the other hand, 30% of those polled would vote a certain party just because it annoys them the least. The respondents almost universally agree that they vote for a certain party because they identify with the party ideology (86%), the party programme (85%) and because they place trust in the party leaders (78%).

As far as the departing monochrome minor cabinet of Miloš Zeman is concerned, the total results of the evaluation of the government’s actions in home and foreign policy, economy and with regard to overall contribution to the Czech Republic were relatively favourable. The number of critical views has not significantly surpassed the 30 % mark in any of the realised survey and it has always been at least approximately balanced by similar number of positive views and surpassed by the number of those, who regarded the government’s work as neutral.

Shortly after the election, 38% of those polled said they were satisfied with the political situation in the Czech Republic (‘very satisfied’ – 3%, ‘quite satisfied’ – 35%), whereas 56% expressed dissatisfaction (‘quite dissatisfied’ – 43% and ‘very dissatisfied’ – 13%) and 6% did not know. Compared to a survey conducted shortly before the election, the level of satisfaction increased by 4 percentage points.

In its June survey conducted very shortly before the election to the Chamber of Deputies, the Public Opinion Research Centre investigated who would be the most acceptable prime minister. The respondents expressed their opinions on nine potential candidates for the post. Although Stanislav Gross (68%) and Petra Buzková (65%), both from the CSSD, are assessed even more positively than Vladimír Špidla, Czech citizens find Mr Špidla very acceptable – shortly before the election, a half of those polled would welcome him as the prime minister.