Party of Free Citizens and the Genesis of the Czech Liberal-Conservative “Anti-EU” Stream in Czech Politics
Party of Free Citizens and the Genesis of the Czech Liberal-Conservative “Anti-EU” Stream in Czech Politics

Summary/Abstract: Euroscepticism became one of the prominent themes of political actors’ research in the last decades based on the strengthening position of Eurosceptic parties within the EU and national political arenas. Such development was further strengthened by the EU-enlargement in 1995, 2004 and 2007 and also with the recent development (global and European financial crisis, migration crisis). The aim of the article is to analyse the development and programme standpoint of the Czech liberal-conservative political stream. We use the concept of Euroscepticism, presented in the works of Szczerbiak and Taggart, and Kopecký and Mudde as the theoretical framework, and develop this concept based on Petr Kaniok’s new typology. In the first part of our analysis we discuss the development of the Eurosceptic faction within the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), and changes in the party’s position towards the EU. We also understand the Eurosceptic faction within the ODS, with Václav Klaus as its supporter and think tanks related to him, as the incubator for the establishment of the Party of Free Citizens (SSO) in 2009. In the second part of the analysis we focus on the party’s programme and its position within the European political arena. Our analysis also includes a discussion about most visible proclamations of the party leaders, against the EU and the European integration process. Our analysis is framed with the general debate about the liberal-conservative party family and its development at the EU level.

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