- Czech Social Democratic Party
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Czech Social Democratic Party
Česká strana sociálně demokratickáLeader Bohuslav Sobotka Founded 1878 Headquarters Lidový dům Hybernská 7, Prague Youth wing Mladí sociální demokraté (Young Social Democrats) Ideology Social democracy
Fiscal: Keynesianism[1]Political position Centre-left International affiliation Socialist International European affiliation Party of European Socialists European Parliament Group Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Official colours Orange Chamber of Deputies 56 / 200Senate 41 / 81European Parliament 7 / 22Regional councils 280 / 675Local councils 4,633 / 62,178Website http://www.cssd.cz/ Politics of the Czech Republic
Political parties
ElectionsThe Czech Social Democratic Party (Czech: Česká strana sociálně demokratická or ČSSD) is a social-democratic political party in the Czech Republic.
Contents
History
The Social Democratic Czechoslavonic party in Austria (Czech: Sociálně Demokratická strana Českoslovanská v Rakousku) was founded on 7 April 1878 in Austria-Hungary representing the Kingdom of Bohemia in the Austrian parliament. Its role in the political life of the empire was one of the factors that lead to the creation of independent Czechoslovak Republic. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the party became one of the leading parties of the first Czechoslovak Republic.
During the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Nazi Germany, the party was officially abolished, but its members organised resistance movements illegally within the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and abroad. After the re-establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1945, the party returned to its pre-existing structure and became a member of the national front. In 1948, after the Communist party assumed the parliamentary majority the Czech Social Democratic Party was abolished along with all other non-communist parties. Under the reformist environment in 1968, there were talks about allowing the recreation of a Social Democratic party, but the Soviet occupation has put an end to such ideas. It was only after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, when the party was recreated. Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, ČSSD is one of the leading parties in the Czech Republic.
After the 1998 parliamentary election, the party won the most seats, but failed to form a coalition government. As a result, the party formed a minority government under party leader Miloš Zeman. With only 74 seats out of 200, the government had the confidence and supply from the Civic Democratic Party, under the so-called Opposition Agreement.
The party won the elections of 2002 with 70 of 200 representatives in the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic. Its chairman Vladimír Špidla became the prime minister heading a coalition with two smaller parties, the Christian Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party and the Freedom Union-Democratic Union until his resignation in 2004.
The current chairman of the party is Jiří Paroubek since 2006. His predecessor was Stanislav Gross from 26 June 2004 to 26 April 2005. Gross resigned after a scandal which arose due to his inability to explain the source of financial resources used to pay for his home. Gross's predecessor Vladimír Špidla was forced to resign in 2004 after the ČSSD lost in European Parliamentary elections.
In the June 2 and 3, 2006 elections, the party won 32.3% of the vote and 74 out of 200 seats. The election at first caused a stalemate since the right-wing parties (with Green Party) and left-wing parties each had 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 Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL), and the Green Party (SZ) to form a government. Hence the ČSSD is now in opposition.
Overview
Czech lands as part of Austria-Hungary:
- 1878–1893 The Czechoslavonic Social Democratic Party in Austria (Sociálně-demokratická strana českoslovanská v Rakousku) – part of Social Democratic Party of Austria
- 1893–1918 The Czechoslavonic Social Democratic Workers' Party (Českoslovanská sociálně demokratická stranu dělnická) – independent party
- 1918–1938 The Czechoslovak Social Democratic Worker's Party (Československá sociálně demokratická strana dělnická) – merged with Slovak Social Democrats. The party was a member of the Labour and Socialist International between 1923 and 1938.[2] After the splitup of Austria-Hungary, the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers Party in the Republic of Austria split from the main party.
- 1938–1941 The National Labor Party (Národní strana práce) – united left party of Social Democrats and part of Czech National Social Party
- 1945–1948 Czechoslovak Social Democracy (Československá sociální demokracie)
- 1948–1989 – merged with the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, concurrently existed as an exile party with its headquarters in London
- 1990–1993 Czechoslovak Social Democracy (Československá sociální demokracie)
- since 1993 Czech Social Democratic Party (Česká strana sociálně demokratická)
Election results
National Assembly of the Czechoslovak republic
Election Votes Share of votes in % Seats gained 1920 1 590 520 25.7 74 1925 632 403 8.9 29 1929 963 462 13 39 1935 1 032 773 12.6 38 1946 855 771 12 37 Czech National council/Chamber of deputies of the Czech republic
Election Votes Share of votes in % Seats gained Place In government 1990 296 165 4.1 0 6th No 1992 422 736 6.53 16 3rd No 1996 1 602 250 26.4 61 2nd No 1998 1 928 660 32.31 74 1st Yes 2002 1 440 279 30.2 70 1st Yes 2006 1 728 827 32.32 74 2nd No 2010 1 155 267 22.08 56 1st No Results by regions
Region 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2006 2010 Prague 4,65 5,14 18,68 23,44 25,85 23,29 15,17 Central Bohemian 4,83 6,82 25,40 32,70 31,58 30,74 20,52 South Bohemian 3,94 8,03 24,95 31,11 30,33 30,47 20,55 West Bohemian 5,89 8,78 25,71 32,73 Plzeň 30,34 31,69 22,01 Karlovy Vary 29,31 32,73 23,29 North Bohemian 6,92 7,97 28,74 34,71 Ústí nad Labem 29,18 35,46 24,93 Liberec 27,05 29,31 19,40 East Bohemian 5,26 7,20 24,78 29,94 Hradec Králové 27,48 30,14 19,87 Pardubice 29,45 32,95 21,95 Vysočina 31,97 35,35 23,43 South Moravian 1,51 4,56 24,96 31,81 29,90 32,95 23,35 North Moravian 2,87 4,56 34,21 38,98 Olomouc 31,92 35,44 24,47 Zlín 29,06 33,28 21,93 Moravian-Silesian 36,13 40,54 29,13 Czech republic 4,11 6,53 26,44 32,31 30,20 32,32 22,08 Senate election
1996 whole Senate elected (81 seats), in next elections only one third of seats to be contested
Election Seats gained 1996 25 1998 3 2000 1 2002 7 2004 0 2006 6 2007 1 2008 23 2010 12 2011 1 European parliament election
Election Votes Share of votes in % Seats gained 2004 204 903 8.78 2 2009 528 132 22.39 7 Regional election
Election Votes Share of votes in % Councillors 2000 344 441 14.67 112 2004 297 083 14.03 105 2008 1 044 719 35.86 280 Local election
Election Share of votes in % Councillors 1994 8.7 1998 17.54 2002 15.57 4 664 2006 16.61 4 331 2010 19.68 4 584 Chairmen of the Czech Social Democratic Party
Czechoslavonic Social Democratic Workers' Party
- Antonín Němec (1904–1915)
- Bohumír Šmeral (1916–1917)
Czechoslovak Social Democratic Worker's Party
- Antonín Němec (1917–1925)
- Antonín Hampl (1925–1938)
Czechoslovak Social Democracy
- Zdeněk Fierlinger (1945–1947)
- Bohumil Laušman (1947–1948)
Czechoslovak Social Democracy in exile
- Blažej Vilím (1948)
- Václav Majer (1948–1972)
- Vilém Bernard (1972–1989)
- Karel Hrubý
Czechoslovak Social Democracy
- Jiří Horák (1989–1993)
Czech Social Democratic Party
- Miloš Zeman (28 February 1993 – April 2001)
- Vladimír Špidla (April 2001 – 26 June 2004)
- Stanislav Gross (26 June 2004 – 26 April 2005)
- Bohuslav Sobotka (temporary) (2005–2006)
- Jiří Paroubek (2006–2010)
- Bohuslav Sobotka (2011–present)
See also
- Politics of the Czech Republic
- List of political parties in the Czech Republic
- Elections in the Czech Republic
- Bohumil Laušman
References
- ^ "Long-term party program". http://www.volbycr.cz/download/Dlouhodoby-program.pdf.
- ^ Kowalski, Werner. Geschichte der sozialistischen Arbeiter-Internationale: 1923 – 1938, Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften, 1985. p. 327.
External links
Political parties in the Czech Republic Bracketed numbers indicate numbers of seats in the respective chambers. Sources: Chamber of Deputies · Senate · Statistical OfficeChamber of Deputies
2010 (200 seats)Czech Social Democratic Party (56) · Civic Democratic Party (53) · TOP 09 (41) · Communist Party (26) · Public Affairs (24)Senate
2010 (81 seats)Social Democrats (41) · Civic Democratic Party (25) · Christian and Democratic Union (6)12 · TOP 09 (5)3 · Communist Party (2) · NorthBohemians.cz (2)European Parliament
2009 (22 seats)Civic Democratic Party (9) · Czech Social Democratic Party (7) · Communist Party (4) · Christian and Democratic Union (2)
Other parties
(>0.5% of the 2010 vote)Christian and Democratic Union · Party of Civic Rights – Zemanovci · Sovereignty – Jana Bobošíková Bloc · Green Party · Workers' Party of Social Justice · Czech Pirate Party · Party of Free Citizens1 Includes one elected as independent. 2 One more split to TOP 09. 3 Only one was actually elected as TOP 09 candidate, one split from Christian Democratic Union, two were elected for Mayors and Independents and one for Party for the Open SocietyParties Member parties (EU)Member parties (non-EU)Associated parties (EU)Associated parties (non-EU)Observer partiesParty Presidents Wilhelm Dröscher · Robert Pontillon · Joop den Uyl · Vítor Constâncio · Guy Spitaels · Willy Claes · Rudolf Scharping · Robin Cook · Poul Nyrup RasmussenEuropean Parliament
Group PresidentsGuy Mollet · Hendrik Fayat · Pierre Lapie · Willi Birkelbach · Käte Strobel · Francis Vals · Georges Spénale · Ludwig Spénale · Ernest Glinne · Rudi Arndt · Jean-Pierre Cot · Pauline Green · Enrique Barón Crespo · Martin Schulz · see European Parliament
European Commissionners Catherine Ashton (Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) · Joaquín Almunia (Competition) · Maroš Šefčovič (Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration) · Maria Damanaki (Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) · Štefan Füle (Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy) · László Andor (Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) · see Barroso II CommissionHeads of government
at the European CouncilWerner Faymann (Austria) · George Papandreou (Greece) · Borut Pahor (Slovenia) · José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (Spain) · see European CouncilEurofoundation: Foundation for European Progressive StudiesCategories:- Political parties established in 1878
- Political parties in Austria-Hungary
- Political parties in Czechoslovakia
- Party of European Socialists member parties
- Czech Social Democratic Party
- Members of the Labour and Socialist International
- Second International
- Socialist International
- Social democratic parties
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