The Extinction of the Dinosaurs of the Czech Political Scene? The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia in the Light of the Elections in 2021 and 2022

Abstract

The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia is basically the only example of a communist party that, after the political transformation of the late 1980s and early 1990s, survived in the political system of a state in Central Europe under an unchanged name and only slightly modified programme. For almost 30 years, the party has played an important role in the Czech party system, although it has not been part of any Czech government, only supporting Prime Minister Babiš’s government in individual votes since 2018.

As a result of the 2021 parliamentary elections, the Communists did not find themselves in the Chamber of Deputies for the first time, and a year later they achieved a poor result during the municipal elections. In the author’s opinion, these events are probably the beginning of the party’s disappearance from the political landscape of the Czech Republic. In 2023 KSČM was unable to field its own candidate in the presidential elections, further deepening the crisis.

The decline in support is due to the electoral structure of voters for this party (they are generally older people), the lack of an interesting offer for other voters and the targeting of its message mainly at those who are dissatisfied with the transformation. A significant proportion of the party’s electorate votes for other parties, including those on the right – such as T. Okamura’s SPD.