Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
Encyclopedia
The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia , abbreviated to KSČM, is a political party in the Czech Republic
. It has a membership of 82,994 (2006) and is a member party of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left bloc in the European Parliament
. It is the only former ruling party in post-communist Central Eastern Europe which has not dropped the communist title from its name, although it changed its party program to suit laws adopted after 1989.
It was formed in 1989 by the Congress of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
which decided to create a party for the territories of Bohemia
and Moravia
, the areas that were to become the Czech Republic
.
In 1990 the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia became a federation of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia and the Communist Party of Slovakia
. Later, the Communist Party of Slovakia changed its name to the Party of the Democratic Left
, and the federation broke up in 1992.
After the party's second congress in 1992, several groups split away. The Party of the Democratic Left and The Left Bloc were the most important ones, and they eventually merged into the Party of Democratic Socialism
. The latter party does some joint work, and co-operates with the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia.
Another split was the formation of the Party of Czechoslovak Communists (later renamed the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia). However, the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia refuses to work with this group.
In 2002 parliamentary elections
, the party received 18.5% of the vote for the Czech Republic's Chamber of Deputies. This made them the third largest party in Parliament at that time, with 41 deputies.
The party was left on the sidelines for most of the first decade of the Czech Republic's existence. Vaclav Havel
suspected the KSCM was still an unreconstructed Stalinist party, and kept it from having any influence during his presidency. However, the party provided the one-vote margin that elected Havel's successor as president, Vaclav Klaus
In June 2004 the party came in second place in the European Parliament election
in the Czech Republic, winning 6 of 24 seats.
In 2006 parliamentary elections
the party scored 12.8%, coming in third and far behind the Social Democrats and sinking to 26 mandates. The leadership were disappointed at the drop in support compared to the party's 2002 results.
After a long-running battle with the Ministry of the Interior, in 2008 the KSCM's youth section – the Communist Youth Union (KSM) – was dissolved, allegedly for endorsing in its program the replacement of private with collective ownership of the means of production. The decision has met with international protests.
In November 2008, the Senate of the Czech Republic asked the Supreme Court
to dissolve the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia because of its political program, which the Senate claimed contradicted the Constitution of the Czech Republic
. 30 out of the 38 senators who were present at the time agreed this request and expressed the viewpoint that the program of KSČM does not disown violence as a means of attaining power and adopts The Communist Manifesto
of Karl Marx
.
In the 2009 European Parliament elections
the Communist party received 14,18% and elected 4 (out of the 22 Czech) MEPs
.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. It has a membership of 82,994 (2006) and is a member party of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left bloc in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. It is the only former ruling party in post-communist Central Eastern Europe which has not dropped the communist title from its name, although it changed its party program to suit laws adopted after 1989.
It was formed in 1989 by the Congress of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
which decided to create a party for the territories of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, the areas that were to become the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
In 1990 the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia became a federation of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia and the Communist Party of Slovakia
Communist Party of Slovakia (1939)
The Communist Party of Slovakia was a communist party in Slovakia. It was formed in March 1939, when the Slovak Republic was created, as the Slovak branches of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia were separated from the mother party...
. Later, the Communist Party of Slovakia changed its name to the Party of the Democratic Left
Party of the Democratic Left (Slovakia)
The Party of the Democratic Left was a social-democratic political party in Slovakia from 1990 to 2004.It was founded in 1990, out of the Communist Party of Slovakia....
, and the federation broke up in 1992.
After the party's second congress in 1992, several groups split away. The Party of the Democratic Left and The Left Bloc were the most important ones, and they eventually merged into the Party of Democratic Socialism
Party of Democratic Socialism (Czech Republic)
The Party of Democratic Socialism is a democratic socialist political party in the Czech Republic. It is a founding member party of the Party of the European Left....
. The latter party does some joint work, and co-operates with the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia.
Another split was the formation of the Party of Czechoslovak Communists (later renamed the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia). However, the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia refuses to work with this group.
In 2002 parliamentary elections
Czech legislative election, 2002
Parliamentary elections were held in the Czech Republic on 14 and 15 June 2002. The result was a victory for the Czech Social Democratic Party, which won 70 of the 200 seats. Voter turnout was 57.9%.-Results:...
, the party received 18.5% of the vote for the Czech Republic's Chamber of Deputies. This made them the third largest party in Parliament at that time, with 41 deputies.
The party was left on the sidelines for most of the first decade of the Czech Republic's existence. Vaclav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
suspected the KSCM was still an unreconstructed Stalinist party, and kept it from having any influence during his presidency. However, the party provided the one-vote margin that elected Havel's successor as president, Vaclav Klaus
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...
In June 2004 the party came in second place in the European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2004
Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom...
in the Czech Republic, winning 6 of 24 seats.
In 2006 parliamentary elections
Czech legislative election, 2006
Parliamentary elections were held in the Czech Republic on 2 and 3 June 2006.The pre-election campaign was fierce and mostly negative. A major scandal broke out few days before the election. The two largest parties had profited from the divisive campaign – both had obtained the highest percentage...
the party scored 12.8%, coming in third and far behind the Social Democrats and sinking to 26 mandates. The leadership were disappointed at the drop in support compared to the party's 2002 results.
After a long-running battle with the Ministry of the Interior, in 2008 the KSCM's youth section – the Communist Youth Union (KSM) – was dissolved, allegedly for endorsing in its program the replacement of private with collective ownership of the means of production. The decision has met with international protests.
In November 2008, the Senate of the Czech Republic asked the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the Czech Republic
The Supreme Court of the Czech Republic is the court of highest appeal for almost all legal cases heard in the Czech Republic. As set forth in the Constitution of the Czech Republic, however, cases of constitutionality, administrative law and political jurisdiction are heard by other courts...
to dissolve the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia because of its political program, which the Senate claimed contradicted the Constitution of the Czech Republic
Constitution of the Czech Republic
The current Constitution of the Czech Republic was adopted on December 16, 1992. It replaced the constitution of Czechoslovakia , which split into the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic by act of parliament on January 1, 1993, through the so-called Velvet Divorce.The document is organized into...
. 30 out of the 38 senators who were present at the time agreed this request and expressed the viewpoint that the program of KSČM does not disown violence as a means of attaining power and adopts The Communist Manifesto
The Communist Manifesto
The Communist Manifesto, originally titled Manifesto of the Communist Party is a short 1848 publication written by the German Marxist political theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It has since been recognized as one of the world's most influential political manuscripts. Commissioned by the...
of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
.
In the 2009 European Parliament elections
European Parliament election, 2009 (Czech Republic)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in Czech Republic was the election of the delegation from Czech Republic to the European Parliament in 2009....
the Communist party received 14,18% and elected 4 (out of the 22 Czech) MEPs
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
.