Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2011, 47(1): 115-136 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2011.47.1.06

Dynamics of New Party Formation in the Czech Republic 1996-2010: Looking for the Origins of a Political Earthquake

Seán Hanley
University College London

The stable and closed nature of the party system and the failure of most new political parties were among the most salient features of Czech democracy over the past two decades. The results of the 2010 parliamentary elections seemed to mark a break with this pattern: support for two main parties slumped to historically low levels and two new parties, TOP 09 and Public Affairs (Věci veřejné), entered parliament. This article seeks to put the 'political earthquake' of 2010 into perspective by mapping the development of new parties in the Czech Republic over the past two decades and relating them to comparative literature and typologies of new party emergence. It concludes that, of the two successful new parties in 2010, Public Affairs was by far the more novel and important phenomenon.

Keywords: political parties, new parties, party system, Czech Republic.

Published: February 1, 2011Show citation

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Hanley, S. (2011). Dynamics of New Party Formation in the Czech Republic 1996-2010: Looking for the Origins of a Political Earthquake. Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review, 47(1), 115-136. doi: 10.13060/00380288.2011.47.1.06.
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