The Czech 2010 Elections from the Viewpoint of Party System Change and Stability: Veto Players, Personalization, Localization and Fragmentation
Abstract
This article seeks to explain the so called Czech electoral earthquake of 2010 by identifying some deeper underlying trends and processes which have had impact on the Czech party politics in a long time perspective. These factors are especially (1) a tendency to proliferation of veto players, (2) an increasing personalization and localization of the Czech party politics, and (3) a fragmentation of the four-year electoral cycle caused by a high number and saliency of elections on various levels.
All these trends have cumulated and accelerated within the 2006-2010 term which was actually shortened by two long time politically non-standard situations (lengthy process of post-2006 cabinet installation and one-year duration of a caretaker cabinet).