Czech Social Democratic Party

The Czech Social Democratic Party (Czech: Česká strana sociálně demokratická or ČSSD) is a social-democratic political party in the Czech Republic.

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

Czechoslovakia:

• 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)

Czech Republic:

• since 1993 Czech Social Democratic Party (Česká strana sociálně demokratická)

Election results

National Assembly of the Czechoslovak republic

Czech National council/Chamber of deputies of the Czech republic

Results by regions

Senate election

1996 whole Senate elected (81 seats), in next elections only one third of seats to be contested

European parliament election

Regional election

Local election

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

1. ^ "Long-term party program". http://www.volbycr.cz/download/Dlouhodoby-program.pdf. 
2. ^ Kowalski, Werner. Geschichte der sozialistischen Arbeiter-Internationale: 1923 – 1938, Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften, 1985. p. 327.

External links

• ČSSD official website
• Party basic data in English