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Parliamentary elections were held in theCzech Republic on 20 and 21 October 2017.[1] All 200 members of theChamber of Deputies were elected andAndrej Babiš of ANO, also the leader of theresultant government, became thePrime Minister. Thecoalition government following the2013 parliamentary elections consisted of the two largest parties: theCzech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) of Prime MinisterBohuslav Sobotka, andANO, led by former Finance Minister and businessmanAndrej Babiš, alongside theChristian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU–ČSL). The largest opposition party was theCommunist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSČM), followed bycentre-right partiesTOP 09 and theCivic Democratic Party (ODS).
Opinion polling showed ANO leading since early 2014, with their lead gradually increasing to double digits. ČSSD had been losing ground since early 2017, polling in the low double figures from May 2017. Polls indicated that several other parties, including KSČM, ODS, KDU–ČSL, and TOP 09, were likely to re-enter the Chamber of Deputies, with support fluctuating between 5% and 12%. Across all parties, 7,524 candidates stood for election, setting a national record. There were 37 candidates per seat.[2]
The result was a victory forpopulist party ANO, which received 29.6% of the vote and 78 seats. ODS were the second strongest party, receiving 11.3% and 25 seats. The ruling ČSSD fell to 7%, finishing sixth. Both theCzech Pirate Party andFreedom and Direct Democracy received over 10% and became new parliamentary parties. Nine parties entered the lower chamber, resulting in the most fragmented Chamber of Deputies in the history of the Czech Republic. This was also the first time that neither ČSSD nor ODS won the parliamentary election. After eight months of negotiations, ANO and ČSSD agreed to form a minority coalition government, with aconfidence and supply agreement with the KSČM which lasted until April 2021. This was the first time the Communists had participated in the national government since theVelvet Revolution in 1989.[3]
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TheConstitution of the Czech Republic stipulates that an election to theChamber of Deputies, the lower house of theParliament, must be held every four years. TheGovernment is responsible to the Chamber of Deputies and stays in power only if has the confidence of the majority ofmembers of parliament.Article 19(1) of the Constitution provides that anycitizen of the Czech Republic who has right to vote and is twenty-one years old is eligible to serve as an MP.
The Social Democrats, the largest party following the2013 elections, formed a centre-leftCoalition government with ANO and KDU–ČSL. The Social Democrats were represented by eight ministers in the Government, with its leader,Bohuslav Sobotka, asPrime Minister. ANO, the runner-up in the election, was represented by six of its members in the Government, led by businessmanAndrej Babiš, who was promoted to the role of the First Deputy Prime Minister and served asFinance Minister. The smallest party in the coalition, the Christian Democrats, were represented by three ministers, and their leaderPavel Bělobrádek held the position of Deputy Prime Minister. The biggest opposition party in the Chamber of Deputies was theCommunist Party. The centre-right opposition to the government was represented byTOP 09 and the Civic Democrats.[4]
In 2014, voters elected 29 out of 81 Senators and approximately 62,300 members oflocal councils. The Social Democrats won the Senate election but lost many bigger cities, including the capitalPrague, to its coalition partner, ANO.[5]
In October 2016, voters elected 675 members of regional assemblies in 13regions of the nation (except Prague) which then elected their regional leadership. ANO won the election with 21.05%, while the Social Democrats came first in only two regions –South Bohemia andVysočina – with 15.25% nationwide. The Communists (KSČM) suffered the biggest loss, winning 10.54% and losing 96 seats in the assemblies. The centre-right ODS won 9.47% nationwide and 76 seats in regional assemblies.[6][7]
Alongside the regional elections, about 2.7 million voters elected 27 of the 81 senators.[8] The KDU-ČSL won these elections with nine new senators, while both ANO and the Social Democrats suffered heavy losses. Even though ANO had 14 candidates in the second round, only three managed to win election. The Social Democrats lost 10 seats, including that of their Vice President of the SenateZdeněk Škromach. The centre-right ODS had six candidates in the second round, with four of them being elected (including Zdeněk Nytra, who ran as an independent).[9][10]
The coalition government successfully passed many of the policies that had been announced in 2014, such as electronic registration of sales and reverse charging ofvalue-added tax.[11]Bohuslav Sobotka's Cabinet was considered by pundits and commentators to be stable compared with previous cabinets.[12] However, in early May 2017a government crisis developed when Prime MinisterBohuslav Sobotka resigned due to the financial irregularities of Finance MinisterAndrej Babiš. Sobotka reversed his decision a few days later following a dispute with PresidentMiloš Zeman over the continuation of the government, and on 24 May 2017, Sobotka dismissed Babiš and replaced him withIvan Pilný, effectively ending the crisis.[13]
The 200 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected from 14 multi-member constituencies (each usually electing between 5 and 25 members)[14] usingopen listproportional representation, in which they can give preferential votes for up to four candidates on their chosen list. Seats are allocated using thed'Hondt method, with an electoral threshold of 5% nationwide for single parties, 10% for two-party alliances, 15% for three-party alliances and 20% for alliances of four or more parties. Candidates who receive preferential votes from more than 5% of voters are moved to the top of their list, and in cases where more than one candidate receives over 5% of the preferential votes, they are ranked in order of votes received.[15]
TheCzech constitution states that elections to theChamber of Deputies must be held every four years. Polling days in the Czech Republic are Friday and Saturday, and voters can submit their ballots on either day. The exact date of the election is chosen by thePresident, who is obliged to call it at least 90 days before the election is held. On 6 April 2017, President Zeman announced 20 and 21 October 2017 as election days.[16][17][18]
Parties contesting the election included:
For the first time in Czech elections, campaign spending was limited, with a cap of 90 millionCZK (approximately €3,300,000) for each party. A new supervisory body was established, the Office for Supervision of Finances of Political Parties and Political Movements.
The date of the election was announced on 2 May 2017, marking the start of the official campaign.[20] Parties were allowed to register for the election until 15 August 2017. 31 parties registered in total, the highest number ever.[21][22]
At the time of the campaign, theminimum wage in the Czech Republic was 12,200Czech crowns (around 472 euros).[23] Although the minimum wage had increased by 24.6% since 2010 it was still lower than many otherEU member states.[24] Some voters expressed their feeling that incomes had stagnated and the quality of public services had declined, while fortunes were being made through dubious privatizations and the improper awarding of public service contracts.[25]
Czech membership of the Eurozone also became a campaign issue, as although the Czech Republic has theoretically accepted the euro, it has not stated when it will adopt it.ČSSD,KDU-ČSL, theGreens andTOP 09 are all in favour of adopting the euro as early as possible, while ANO, the Communist Party and SPD reject it. ODS argue for delaying adoption of the euro, citing theEuropean debt crisis.[26]
ANO, the front-runner in the election, launched its campaign on 3 May 2017, when media outlets owned by party leaderAndrej Babiš published an image of Babiš with tape over his mouth, intended as a criticism of ČSSD.[27]
On 10 August 2017, criminal proceedings began againstAndrej Babiš, who is accused of subsidy fraud. The Chamber of Deputies was asked to remove Babiš's immunity so that he could be criminally prosecuted. Babiš expressed his view that the purpose of the criminal proceedings was to destroy him politically.[28]
Babiš faced ODS leader Petr Fiala in a debate on 29 September 2017. They clashed over issues including corruption and the economy, but agreed on immigration.[clarification needed][29]
ANO adoptedEurosceptic policies before the election, including opposition to the Euro, deeper European integration and immigration quotas,[30] but took a more pro-EU stance after the campaign.[31][32] Daniel Kaiser of Echo24 described the party's position on the EU as "Euro-opportunism".[33]
KDU–ČSL formed a political alliance withMayors and Independents, calledPopulars and Mayors, with the aim of becoming the "third power" of Czech politics. Two-party alliances require 10% of votes to qualify for seats in the parliament. The alliance was dissolved in July 2017 as a result of poor results in opinion polls.
KDU-ČSL began its campaign at the beginning of August 2017, focusing on family, education, innovation and children. Pavel Bělobrádek announced that the symbol of the party's campaign was a house for three generations, with the campaign slogan: "Responsibly."[34] Bělobrádek stated that he would resign if the party's result was worse than the 2013 election.[35]
The centre-right ODS launched their campaign in partnership with theFreeholder Party, which meant that 40 members of Freeholders would stand for election as representatives of the Civic Democrats. The Civic Democrats launched their campaign on 29 May 2017.[36]
ODS launched its electoral program and announced its candidates on 19 April 2017, promising to lower taxes and cut subsidies and social benefits.[37]
On 11 July 2017, the Civic Democrats said that they did not want to bother voters with politics during the summer holiday season, and launched a contest called "We are looking for the Seven Wonders of Czechia", in which voters would nominate interesting places in their regions that were not well known.[38] In August 2017, ODS started its contact campaign, with leaders of the party stating that communication with citizens was the party's strongest electoral weapon. The party organised summer film screenings, projecting the filmRiver Rascals to attract voters to its meetings.[39]
On 17 August 2017, ODS published theVyšehrad Proclamation, a list of conditions under which the party would join a coalition government, including lower taxes, refusal to adopt theEuro, rejection of immigration quotas, and ending the electronic sales record.[40] The party launched the "hot phase" of their campaign on 1 September 2017, known as "Blue Wave."[41]
On 29 September 2017, party leader Petr Fiala faced Andrej Babiš in a debate at Barrandov. Babiš attacked Fiala over the previous ODS government's record, but Fiala was widely considered to have won the debate, attacking Babiš's politics and his business.[42][43]
The Communist KSČM ran their campaign on an anti-NATO platform.[44]
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The Pirates launched their campaign on 22 May 2017, aiming to win 10% of votes. They called for radical tax reforms and changes to government administration.[45]
On 17 October 2017, a 2016 picture of party leaderIvan Bartoš at anAnti-Fascist Action demonstration was published on the social media accounts of nationalist organization Pro-Vlast. Another picture showed Bartoš attending a left-wing demonstration in 2016 held in support of refugees. Bartoš admitted attending the demonstrations and suggested the photos had been used to run a campaign against his persona.[46][47][48]
Following thegovernment crisis in May 2017, polls registered a drop in support for the Social Democrats and ANO, and an increase for the Civic Democrats.[49] A poll by Kantar TNS showing ČSSD in fourth place prompted speculation overBohuslav Sobotka's position as party leader,[50] and he resigned as leader of ČSSD on 15 June 2017.Milan Chovanec became acting party leader andLubomír Zaorálek became the Social Democrat candidate for Prime Minister.[51] The party's campaign manager,Jan Birke MP, resigned two days after Sobotka.
The Social Democrats experienced internal party conflict in theSouth Bohemian Region over the rejection of candidates, including former GovernorJiří Zimola.[52] On 5 June 2017, some ČSSD candidates in the region refused to stand for the party, in protest at the party's decision not to include Zimola on their list.[53]
The Social Democrats launched their campaign and election platform on 19 June 2017.[54][55] On 29 August 2017,Lubomír Zaorálek launched the party's official campaign.[56]
SPD campaigned under the slogan "No to Islam, No to terrorists."[57] It was speculated that Freedom and Direct Democracy would participate in the election together with the Party of Civic Rights, but SPD leaderTomio Okamura announced on 14 February that the party would stand independently. Okamura borrowed 18 million Czech koruna for the campaign.[58]
SPD launched its campaign on 20 July, with the aim of winning over 10%. The party called for a law enabling national referendums to be held more easily, and supported a referendum on leaving the European Union.[59] Polls at the beginning of October showed support for SPD growing.[60]
French politicianMarine Le Pen endorsed SPD before the election.[61]
The Greens launched their campaign on 16 June 2017.Matěj Stropnický stated that he hoped the party would receive 6–8% of votes.[62] They received less than 1.5%.
STAN launched its campaign on 27 July 2017, introducing its new logo and election leaderJan Farský.[63]
SPO was supported by presidentMiloš Zeman. SPO sought to form an alliance withTomio Okamura'sFreedom and Direct Democracy, but Okamura declined.[64]
On 11 August 2017, SPO announced thatFrantišek Ringo Čech would be its election leader.[65]
The Realists launched their campaign on 14 February 2017, intending to get 20% of votes. Their campaign focused on the introduction of a 15%flat tax and security issues.[66] On 2 June 2017, the party launched their campaign, "Change of style". Members of the party appeared on billboards with their image changed, and were shown in casual clothes.[67]
TOP 09 launched its campaign on 30 May 2017,[68] mainly focusing onbeing in the "faster lane" of the European Union and adopting the Euro.[69][70]
On 12 July, TOP 09 announced that it would cooperate with theLiberal-Environmental Party.[71]
The publicČT24 broadcast a series of debates with spokespeople from the ten biggest parties on various issues, including national security, healthcare,foreign policy and infrastructure, among others. A debate between the leaders of the ten parties was broadcast on 19 October 2017.[72]
| Party | Money spent | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Czech Social Democratic Party | 85,300,000 CZK | [73] |
| ANO | 83,300,000 CZK | [74] |
| Civic Democratic Party | 82,700,000 CZK | [75] |
| TOP 09 | 74,800,000 CZK | [74] |
| Mayors and Independents | 56,700,000 CZK | [75] |
| Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party | 55,600,000 CZK | [73] |
| Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia | 35,400,000 CZK | [73] |
| Freedom and Direct Democracy | 33,200,000 CZK | [73] |
| Realists | 31,100,000 CZK | [76] |
| Civic Democratic Alliance | 25,000,000 CZK | [77] |
| Party of Civic Rights | 19,000,000 CZK | [78] |
| Czech Pirate Party | 16,300,000 CZK | [73] |
| Green Party | 13,500,000 CZK | [79] |
| Party of Free Citizens | 7,360,000 CZK | [80] |
| Party of Common Sense | 400,000 CZK | [81] |
The polls are fromOctober 2013 up to the current date with each line and dots corresponding to a political party.
Media coverage of the election results focused on the entry of SPD and the Pirates into the parliament for the first time, the "fragmented Parliament with nine parties", and the massive loss of support for the Social Democrats.[82]
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | +/– | Seats | +/– | |
| ANO | 1,500,113 | 29.64 | +10.98 | 78 | +31 | |
| Civic Democratic Party | 572,962 | 11.32 | +3.59 | 25 | +9 | |
| Czech Pirate Party | 546,393 | 10.80 | +8.13 | 22 | +22 | |
| Freedom and Direct Democracy | 538,574 | 10.64 | New | 22 | New | |
| Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia | 393,100 | 7.77 | −7.15 | 15 | −18 | |
| Czech Social Democratic Party | 368,347 | 7.28 | −13.09 | 15 | −35 | |
| KDU-ČSL | 293,643 | 5.80 | −0.98 | 10 | −4 | |
| TOP 09 | 268,811 | 5.31 | −6.69 | 7 | −19 | |
| Mayors and Independents | 262,157 | 5.18 | New | 6 | New | |
| Party of Free Citizens | 79,229 | 1.57 | −0.91 | 0 | 0 | |
| Green Party | 74,335 | 1.47 | −1.74 | 0 | 0 | |
| Party of Common Sense | 36,528 | 0.72 | +0.45 | 0 | 0 | |
| Realists | 35,995 | 0.71 | New | 0 | New | |
| Party of Civic Rights | 18,556 | 0.37 | −1.15 | 0 | 0 | |
| Sportsmen | 10,593 | 0.21 | New | 0 | New | |
| Workers' Party of Social Justice | 10,402 | 0.21 | −0.66 | 0 | 0 | |
| SPR–RSČ | 9,857 | 0.19 | New | 0 | New | |
| Order of Nation – Patriotic Union | 8,735 | 0.17 | New | 0 | New | |
| Civic Democratic Alliance | 8,030 | 0.16 | New | 0 | New | |
| Bloc Against Islamization – Defence of the Homeland | 5,077 | 0.10 | New | 0 | New | |
| Referendum on the European Union | 4,276 | 0.08 | New | 0 | New | |
| Happy Czechia | 3,852 | 0.08 | New | 0 | New | |
| Path of Responsible Society | 3,758 | 0.07 | New | 0 | New | |
| Good Choice 2016 | 3,722 | 0.07 | New | 0 | New | |
| Czech National Social Party | 1,573 | 0.03 | New | 0 | New | |
| Vote Right Bloc | 491 | 0.01 | –0.01 | 0 | 0 | |
| Society Against Development in the Prokop Valley | 438 | 0.01 | New | 0 | New | |
| H.A.V.E.L. | 436 | 0.01 | New | 0 | New | |
| Citizens 2011 | 359 | 0.01 | –0.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nation Together | 300 | 0.01 | New | 0 | New | |
| Czech National Front | 117 | 0.00 | New | 0 | New | |
| Total | 5,060,759 | 100.00 | – | 200 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 5,060,759 | 99.40 | ||||
| Invalid/blank votes | 30,306 | 0.60 | ||||
| Total votes | 5,091,065 | 100.00 | ||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 8,374,501 | 60.79 | +1.31 | |||
| Source:Volby | ||||||
| Party | Prague | C. Boh. | S. Boh. | Plzeň | K. Vary | Ústí n. L. | Liberec | Hr. Král. | Pard. | Vys. | S. Mor. | Olo. | Zlín | Mor.-Sil. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANO | 6 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 78 |
| ODS | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25 |
| Piráti | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 22 |
| SPD | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 22 |
| ČSSD | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
| KSČM | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
| KDU-ČSL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| TOP 09 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| TOTAL | 24 | 26 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 23 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 200 |
PresidentMiloš Zeman announced on 22 October that he intended to ask Babiš to form a government. ANO was by far the largest party in the Chamber, with more than twice the vote share and three times as many seats as the second largest party, the Civic Democrats. However, many media outlets speculated that Babiš would encounter problems finding potential coalition partners due to his ongoing criminal fraud charges.[83][84][85] Numerous parties stated their refusal to form a government with ANO as long as Babiš remained its leader, and Babiš ruled out governing with SPD or the Communist Party.[86][87]
Deputy ANO leaderJaroslav Faltýnek stated that the party should talk to its current coalition partners first.[88] Though Babiš expressed a preference for a coalition with ODS,[89][90] ODS leaderPetr Fiala announced that his party would not take part in coalition talks with ANO.[91] An ANO–ODS coalition would have had 103 seats, enough for a governing majority. Although he had voiced Eurosceptic positions during the campaign, Babiš took a more pro-EU stance after the election.[84][87]
As Babiš could not create a coalition government, he opted to form a minority government.[92][93] Hiscabinet took power on 13 December 2017, but on 16 January 2018 it lost aconfidence motion in the Chamber of Deputies by 78–117. Babiš was therefore obliged to resign and resume negotiations about the future government. With the Civic Democrats, Pirates and other minor parties maintaining their position of refusing to negotiate with ANO as long as Babiš was Prime Minister, negotiations between ANO and SPD and the Communists continued, while Babiš paused negotiations with the Social Democrats until after itsFebruary congress, where elected new leadership. Babiš said that he would prefer a minority government withconfidence and supply from the Social Democrats and the Communists.[94] He subsequently stated that if his cabinet did not pass a confidence motion by May 2018, he would favour a snap election.[95][96]
Coalition talks between ANO and the Social Democrats failed on 5 April 2018, primarily because of differences regarding theMinistry of Interior andMinistry of Finance, both of which ČSSD had wanted as a guarantee of the independent investigation of the criminal case against Babiš.[97] On 10 April, PresidentMiloš Zeman proposed that Babiš continue negotiations with theCommunist Party andFreedom and Direct Democracy, which between them would command a 115-seat majority. The parties were co-operating unofficially in the Chamber of Deputies, but in coalition talks they differed on a number of issues, including aEuropean Union membership referendum andreferendum law.[98] ČSSD subsequently re-opened talks with ANO, in which KSČM also participated. ČSSD entered into coalition with ANO on 15 June 2018, with KSČM subsequentlyvoting in favour of the ANO-ČSSD minority government in exchange for concessions.[99][100][101][102]
The day after the election, theCzech Statistical Office reported that its websites used for presentation of results were the targets of coordinatedDDoS attacks during the counting of the votes, and as a result the websites volby.cz and volbyhned.cz had been inaccessible. The matter was investigated by theCzech police, as well as by theMinistry of the Interior and theGovernment.[103][104]
In January 2018, the police confirmed that the websites were subjected toDDoS attacks, but stressed that the investigation was still ongoing.[105]
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