The Parliament of the Czech Republic during the Pandemic: On the Crisis Management of a Minority Cabinet
Abstract
The pandemic crisis is happening as illiberal populist leaders govern in Central and Eastern Europe, during the crisis of political parties and the transformation of the Czech party system. The onset of these trends was triggered by the global financial crisis during which the existing establishment parties have been weakened, and populists had been opened the way to parliaments and governments.
This paper argues that the Czech case is the least likely of government dominance in a pandemic. Due to the weakness of the minority cabinet and the unprecedented fragmented Chamber of Deputies, the cabinet must opt for temporary ad hoc alliances with different parties.
Moreover, a fight against the global COVID-19 pandemic brought changes to the functioning of parliaments and the need for parliamentary adaptations. The content of this paper is to zoom in on the legislative and control activities of MPs during the global pandemic and global financial crisis.