Civic Movement

Civic Movement
Občanské hnutí
LeaderJiří Dienstbier
Founded27 April 1991 (1991-04-27)
DissolvedDecember 1995
Preceded byCivic Forum
Merged intoFree Democrats – Liberal National Social Party
IdeologyLiberalism
Social liberalism
Political positionCentre to centre-left[1]
European affiliationELDR (affiliate)
International affiliationLiberal International

The Civic Movement (Czech: Občanské hnutí, OH) was a liberal political party based in the Czech Republic, which existed from 1991 to 1995. The party was established after the break-up of Civic Forum by the liberal wing of Civic Forum, while the conservative wing established the Civic Democratic Party.[2] Foreign Minister Jiří Dienstbier was elected leader of the Civic Movement. The party participated in the 1992 legislative election but failed to reach the required 5% threshold and was left without parliamentary representation.

The party then renamed itself as the Free Democrats (Svobodní demokraté, SD),[3] modelled on the Free Democratic Party of Germany, as the party tried to position itself as a more clearcut liberal party.[4] The party joined the Liberal International and was admitted as an affiliate to the European Liberal Democrats and Reformists (ELDR) in 1994.[5]

In December 1995 the Free Democrats merged with the Liberal National Social Party (successor to the former bloc party Czechoslovak Socialist Party) and formed the Free Democrats – Liberal National Social Party (SD-LSNS), which was again, however, unsuccessful in the 1996 legislative election.[6][7] Some former members of OH established the Party for the Open Society in 1998.

Election results

Chamber of Deputies

Year Vote Vote % Seats Place Notes Position
1990 ... ...
44 / 200
 1st Split from Civic Forum in 1991 Majority Government
1992 297,406 4.6
0 / 200
 9th extra-parliamentary
1996 124,165 2.05
0 / 200
 9th as Free Democrats – Liberal National Social Party extra-parliamentary

References

  1. ^ "Občanské fórum (OF) provedlo zemi prvními lety demokracie | ČeskéNoviny.cz". www.ceskenoviny.cz. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Podle Klause se ODS mění v Občanské hnutí". ČT24. Česká televize. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  3. ^ Nekvapil, Václav; Kubáček, Jan (23 June 2011). Testy – Politologie a mezinárodní vztahy (in Czech). Fragment, Albatros Media a.s. ISBN 9788025315804. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  4. ^ Fawn, Rick; Hochman, Jiří (2010). "Free Democrats–Liberal National Social Party". Historical Dictionary of the Czech State (2nd ed.). Scarecrow Press. pp. 102–103.
  5. ^ Öhlén, Mats (August 2008). "The Eastward Expansion of the European Liberal Party Family: the Relation between the European Liberal Party Family and Liberal Parties in Central and Eastern Europe". XV Conference of the Nordic Political Science Association (NoPSA). Tromsø: 11, 13.
  6. ^ "POLITIKA: Dvacet let by bylo i Občanskému hnutí". Lidovky.cz. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  7. ^ "OF(F). Před čtvrtstoletím se rozpadlo Občanské fórum". ČT24. Česká televize. Retrieved 9 January 2017.