Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

Civic Democratic Party Občanská demokratická strana
Leader	Petr Fiala
Founded	21 April 1991
Preceded by	Civic Forum
Headquarters	Truhlářská 9, Prague
Newspaper	Pravý Břeh ODS Papers (formerly)
Think tank	CEVRO Liberal Conservative Academy
Youth wing	Young Conservatives
Membership  (April 2016)	14,123
Ideology	Liberal conservatism Euroscepticism
Political position	Centre-right
European affiliation	Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists
International affiliation	International Democrat Union
European Parliament group	European Conservatives and Reformists
Colours	Blue
Chamber of Deputies	16 / 200
Senate	15 / 81
European Parliament	2 / 21
Regional councils	102 / 675
Local councils	2,398 / 62,300
Website
http://www.ods.cz/
Politics of the Czech Republic Political parties Elections

The Civic Democratic Party (Czech: Občanská demokratická strana, ODS) is a liberal-conservative political party in the Czech Republic. It holds 16 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, making it the fifth-largest party. Civic Democratic Party has been in opposition since July 2013.

The ODS is liberal-conservative, supports economic liberalism, and is Eurosceptic. The party was modelled on the British Conservative Party, with whom the ODS are allies through the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) party and European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group. The ODS is a member of the International Democratic Union.

The party was founded by Václav Klaus in 1991 as the pro-free market wing of the Civic Forum. The party won the 1992 legislative election, and has remained in government for most of the Czech Republic's independence. From every elections of Chamber of Deputies until 2013 it emerged as one of the two strongest parties. Václav Klaus served as the first Prime Minister of the Czech Republic after partition of Czechoslovakia, from 1993 to 1997. Mirek Topolánek, who succeeded him as a chairman of the party in December 2002, served as a Prime Minister from 2006 to 2009. In the 2010 election, the party lost 28 seats, finishing second, but as the largest party right of the centre, it formed a centre-right government with Petr Nečas as Prime Minister. In the 2013 legislative election, the party was marginalized by only securing 16 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. It is currently led by Petr Fiala, who was elected chairman on a party convention in January 2014.

History

File:ODS Original Logo.jpg

Logo used until 2015

Formation

The party was founded in 1991 as one of two successors to the Civic Forum. The ODS represented followers of Václav Klaus, and was pro-free market, as opposed to the centrist Civic Movement. An agreement was reached to split the party into two at the Civic Forum Assembly on 23 February 1991. This was followed on 21 April by a formal declaration of a new party, and Klaus was elected its first President. The party agreed to continue in coalition in the Czech government with the Civic Movement, but this collapsed in July 1991.

The Civic Democrats, who represented demands for a tighter Czechoslovak federation, began to organise in Slovakia. Ahead of the 1992 election, the ODS ruled out an electoral alliance with the Liberal Democrats, but agreed to an alliance with Václav Benda's Christian Democratic Party (KDS) in order to boost its appeal to conservatives. The ODS won the election, winning 66 seats (and the KDS another ten), and formed a centre-right coalition with the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) and the KDU-ČSL, with Klaus as Prime Minister.

Dominant party

It was the dominant party in two coalition governments in the Czech Republic in 1992–1997, a majority administration (1992–96) and a short-lived minority government (1996–97).

On 2 June 1995, the ODS and KDS signed a merger agreement, which would come into effect on 18 March 1996, ahead of that year's election. However, at the election, whilst the ODS improved to 68 seats, its allies fell, leading to the government receiving only 99 seats: two short of a majority. Klaus continued with a minority government, relying on its acceptance by the Social Democratic Party (ČSSD).

In December 1997, allegations of the party receiving illegal donations and maintaining a secret slush fund caused the ODA and KDU-ČSL to withdraw from the coalition, and the government collapsed. Josef Tošovský was appointed caretaker, pending new elections in June 1998. Despite the scandal, Klaus was re-elected party chairman, and in January 1998, some legislators opposed to Klaus, led by Jan Ruml and Ivan Pilip, left the party in the so-called 'Sarajevo Assassination' and formed the Freedom Union (US).

Opposition (1998 — 2006)

At the elections, the ODS fell even further, to 63 seats, while the US won 19. Due to the split, the Freedom Union refused to support the ODS, preventing them from getting a majority, the US's executive also refused to support the ČSSD. As a result, on 9 July 1998, the ODS signed the Opposition Agreement, which pledged the party to provide confidence and maintain a ČSSD government under Miloš Zeman. This agreement was then superseded by the more explicit 'Patent of Tolerance' in January 2000.

In the 2002 parliamentary elections, it went from being the largest seat holder to being the second largest party in the Chamber of Deputies with 58 of 200 seats, and for the first time in its history, assumed the role of a true opposition party. Mirek Topolánek took over the party leadership. Former Czech president, Václav Klaus, has been party's honorary president for his first term in the office. In the European Parliament elections in June 2004 and in Senate and regional assembly elections in November 2004 it received over 30% of the votes.

Back in government

Leader of the Civic Democrats from 2002 until 2010, Mirek Topolánek led the party to an election victory in 2006 and became the party's first Prime Minister since 1997.

In the 2006 elections it was the largest seat holder in the Chamber of Deputies with 81 seats. It formed a government in coalition with the Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) and the Green Party (SZ). The party suffered heavy losses in regional and Senate elections in 2008, losing all 12 regional governorships it had previously held.

The Cabinet had lost a no-confidence vote on 24 March 2009. Country was then governed by newly formed caretaker Cabinet. It was nominated by ODS, ČSSD and SZ. Early elections were set for 9–10 October 2009 but was due to unexpected development in the Constitutional Court and House of Deputies postponed to May 2010.

Civic Democratic Party won the second place after Czech Social Democratic Party and formed centre-right Government with TOP 09 and Public Affairs. Public Affairs split from government on 22 April 2012 but were replaced by LIDEM. Civic Democratic Party was the same year widely defeated in regional election as finished third overall and won only in the Plzeň region. Party also lost 2010 and 2012 Senate elections.

Again in opposition (2013 — present)

See also: 2013 Czech political corruption scandal

After resignation and fall of Cabinet of Prime Minister Petr Nečas ODS proposed Miroslava Němcová to the position of the Prime Minister to President Zeman saying that she will be able to form a coalition and succeed a vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies. However, President Zeman refused to appoint her and called on early elections on 25–26 October 2013. ODS suffered heavy losses. It gained only 16 seats and finished 5th. The party also lost elections of the European parliament and of Senate and municipal in 2014.

Leader of the Civic Democratic Party Petr Fiala.

24th Congress of the Civic Democratic Party elected on January 18–19, 2014 a new leadership of ODS. Former rector of Masaryk University and minister Petr Fiala was elected as chairman and Member of the European Parliament Jan Zahradil as 1.vice-chairman. In his book Citizens, Democrats and Party members (Czech: Občané, demokraté a straníci) Fiala says that party needs to be attractive to new, young people and ODS shall have experts on economics, health care, education etc.

In the Chamber of Deputies ODS formed an informal relationship, coalition with TOP 09 and both have been opposing laws such as Control report of Value-added tax. On 26 May 2015, ODS, TOP 09 and Dawn of Direct Democracy called on unsuccessful vote of no confidence to Cabinet of Bohuslav Sobotka.

As of December 2015 opinion polls showed ODS with 8.6% nationwide. Some polling agencies and political commentators are of the opinion that ODS is on the path to become main centre-right party again.

On 16 January 2016, Fiala was re-elected as a Chairman of the Civic Democratic Party.

Ideology

The main ideological components of the party are: modern European Conservatism, economic liberalism, and Euroscepticism. The party's ideas are very close to those of the British Conservative Party, Swedish Moderate Party, and other European liberal-conservative parties. Due to its strong devotion to free market, small government policies and Euroscepticism, it is ideologically distinct from conservative parties in neighboring Austria and Germany.

The basic principles of the party's program are "low taxes, public finances and future without debts, support for families with children, addressable social system, reducing bureaucracy, better conditions for business, a safe state with the transatlantic links. No tricks and populism."

In July 2006, the Civic Democratic Party signed an agreement with the British Conservative Party to leave the EPP-ED Group and form a new European political party called MER (Movement for European Reform) in 2009. On 22 June 2009, it was announced that ODS would join the newly formed European Conservatives and Reformists, an anti-federalist bloc working for reform rather than abolition of the European Parliament and currently its third largest bloc.

Young Conservatives

Young Conservatives (abbreviated MK) is a youth wing of ODS. Young people within the age from 15 to 35 apply for a membership in the MK. The founding congress of MK was held on 8 December 1991 as a result of previous preparations through Charter of Young Conservatives by a group of students at the University of Technology in Brno and Law Students' Association "Všehrd" from Faculty of Law at the Charles University. The Young Conservatives organize wide range of events from meetings with local or national politicians to elections campaigns and international events.

CEVRO Liberal Conservative Academy

CEVRO Liberal Conservative Academy is a think-tank affiliated with ODS. It was established in 1999. Its goal is political education which tries to spread liberal-conservative thinking. In 2005, CEVRO established its own private university known as CEVRO Institute. CEVRO has four newspapers - CEVRO Revue, The Week in European Politics, The Week in Czech Politics and Forthnightly.

Election results

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

Chamber of Deputies

Year	Vote	Vote %	Seats	Place	Govt?	Notes
1990	...	...	41	2nd	Yes	Split from Civic Forum in 1991.
1992	1,924,483	29.7	66	1st	Yes	Participated in Coalition with KDS.
1996	1,794,560	29.6	68	1st	Yes	Minority government supported by oppositional ČSSD.
1998	1,656,011	27.7	63	2nd	Gov. Support	Supported a Minority Government of ČSSD.
2002	1,166,975	24.5	58	2nd	No	Main opposition party
2006	1,892,475	35.3	81	1st	Yes	2006 minority government, 2007-2009 coalition with KDU-ČSL and Greens.
2010	1,057,792	20.2	53	2nd	Yes	Coalition government with TOP 09 and VV/LIDEM
2013	384,174	7.7	16	5th	No	Opposition Party

Senate

Election	First round			Second round			Seats
	Votes	%	Places*	Votes	%	Places*
1996**	1,006,036	36.5	1st	1,134,044	49.2	1st	32
1998	266,377	27.7	1st	210,156	39.1	1st	9
2000	203,039	23.6	1st	166,133	29.5	1st	8
2002	165,794	24.9	1st	284,537	34.6	1st	9
2004	241,120	33.3	1st	257,861	53.8	1st	19
2006	354,273	33.3	1st	289,568	50.4	1st	14
2008	252,827	24.1	2nd	266,731	32.4	2nd	3
2010	266,311	23.1	2nd	225,708	33.1	2nd	8
2012	151,950	17.28	3rd	117,990	22.95	2nd	4
2014***	118,268	11.52	3rd	53,149	11.21	4th	2

^* Places are by number of votes gained.
^** The whole Senate was elected. Only one third of Senate was elected in all subsequent elections.
^***One of its candidates was elected in coalition with Koruna Česká (party).

European Parliament

Year	Vote	Vote %	Seats	Place
2004	700,942	30.0	9	1st
2009	741,946	31.5	9	1st
2014	116,389	7.7	2	6th

Municipal Assemblies

Year	Vote %	Seats
1994	29.56	7,289
1998	24.16	5,697
2002	25.21	5,715
2006	36.2	7,1011
2010	18.78	5,112
2014	9.01	2,398

Regional Assemblies

Year	Vote %	Seats	Places	Hejtmans
2000	23.8	185	7x 1st, 3x 2nd, 3x 3rd	8
2004	36.4	291	12x 1st, 1x 2nd	12
2008	23.6	180	12x 2nd, 1x 3rd	0
2012	12.3	102	1x 1st, 3x 3rd, 7x 4th, 2x 5th	0

Leadership

No.	Name	Photo	Since	Until
1	Václav Klaus		21 April 1991	15 November 2002
2	Mirek Topolánek		15 November 2002	13 April 2010
3	Petr Nečas		20 June 2010	17 July 2013
4	Petr Fiala		18 January 2014	Incumbent

Note: Only properly elected chairs are included.

External links

• ODS official website