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Czech Republic - Civic Democratic Party (ODS)

The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) is a liberal/conservative center-right party with a modern European structure, building upon the traditions of European civilization, the humanitarian and democratic traditions of the First Czechoslovak Republic, and the experience of today's Western democracies. Since its earliest days, it has been one of the most important parties of the right in the post-communist bloc and is a renowned member of a pan-European family of parties sharing the same political orientation.

The Civic Democratic Party has built a nationwide structure consisting of regional, district and local ODS organizations. As of 1st January 2009, the membership of ODS had reached 33,022 people, taking part in 1487 local, 92 district and 14 regional organizations.

The Civic Democratic Party is a relatively young party; but its foundation hewed a path for the establishment of a standard parliamentary democracy system in the Czech Republic after decades of totalitarianism. Its program is based on the principles of personal freedom, individual responsibility, parliamentary democracy and a market economy. In its everyday policy, the party lays stress on an entrepreneurial attitude and private ownership. It disassociates itself from the left-wing concept of the strong "social state" as used in some European countries, and eschews the costly and inflexible systems of social and healthcare finance, associated with large public finance deficits, which result.

The Civic Democratic Party's ideas are close to those of a number of liberal and conservative centre right parties throughout the transatlantic area. Among others, it draws its inspiration from the liberal conservatism of the British Conservative Party or the US Republican Party. Another strong group of non-socialist centre right political parties close to ODS in their ideas is located in Slovakia (Slovak Democratic and Christian Union - Democratic Party), Poland (Civic Platform and Law and Justice Party), Spain (Partido Popular), Hungary (Fidesz), Slovenia (SDS), the Baltic countries and Scandinavia.

Since 1992, the Civic Democratic Party has been a member of the European Democrat Union (EDU), a right-of-centre association consisting of several dozens of European political parties sharing the same liberal and Christian-Democratic orientation. In 2001, the Civic Democratic Party was the first Czech political party to become a member of IDU (International Democrat Union), a worldwide organization bringing together dozens of conservative and liberal parties from every continent.

ODS foreign-policy positions

Soon after its founding and involvement in the political life of the then-Czechoslovakia and, after the fall of the Federation, the independent Czech Republic, ODS made contact with parties of like mind abroad. The Civic Democratic Party is ideologically joined with a number of liberal and conservative parties throughout the transatlantic region. Its politics are inspired by, among others, the British Conservative Party and the American Republican Party. Another group of non-socialist parties similar to ODS ideologically consists of parties in European countries such as WD in Holland, the Spanish People's Party and Moderaterna in Sweden.

ODS its ideological ties by active membership in international political organizations. In 1992, ODS became a member of the European Democratic Union (EDU), a joint grouping of dozens of European right-of-centre parties with liberal and Christian Democratic leanings. The party belonged more to the right wing of the grouping. Then-Chairman of the ODS, Václav Klaus, was chosen Vice-Chairman of the EDU and continued in this function until the demise of the EDU. EDU ceased being in 2002, with the parties which formed its membership now creating the European People's Parties (EPP).

In 2001, the Civic Democratic Party became the first Czech political party accepted into the IDU (International Democratic Union), a worldwide organization bringing together dozens of conservative and liberal parties from all parts of the globe. ODS Chairman Mirek Topolánek was Vice-Chairman of the IDU from 2005-2008.

A key moment for the foreign orientation of ODS and the direction it would take after elections to the European Parliament came with the signing on 10 July 2003 in Prague of the so-called Prague Declaration. It was signed by three parties: ODS, the British Conservative Party and the Polish Law and Justice party. The document outlines an alternative European program which the authors propose in opposition to the prevailing federalist and centralist stream in European integration. The Prague Declaration targeted all parties on the right which support European integration leading to mutual and voluntary cooperation between sovereign nations in the area of common interests, under the framework of a single economic area, a common market and free trade. The document was to become the basis for a new, europragmatic faction in the European Parliament after the 2004 elections.

Even before the European Parliament elections in 2004, the British Conservatives struck a deal with the centre-right faction of the EPP-ED on conditions under which the Conservatives would remain members of the faction after the election. This decision meant ODS, too, would lean strongly toward this faction and after the elections, ODS joined EPP-ED with all nine of its representatives.

On 13 Jun 2006, ODS Chairman Mirek Topolánek and the Chairman of the British Conservatives, David Cameron, officially signed the "Movement for European Reform" declaration, which became the basis for a modern, open, flexible and decentralized EU, ready to face the challenges of the 21st-century. The goal of the MER was too establish a new parliamentary faction in the European Parliament for the coming 2009-2014 legislative period. The web site Partnership for European Reform - www.europeanreform.eu - was successfully inaugurated on October 3. The site was officially put into operation by the Chairman of the Conservator Party, David Cameron, together with the shadow Foreign Minister William Hague and the Chairman of the ODS group in the European Parliament, Jan Zahradil. Conferences have taken place in Brussels and Prague under the MER banner.

Prime Minister Topolánek entered into active negotiations with the United States to locate radar units in the country as part of its ballistic missile defences. The main reason for the negotiations is to increase the security of the CR in a period in which Europe has no such system and the USA is the only power capable of providing one in the foreseeable future. In addition to greater security, closer ties to the USA brought the Czech Republic greater cooperation in a number of areas, more investment, access to technology, education, and research and development.

The results of the October 2013 election was the worst-ever in a national election for the once-dominant Civic Democrats. The party ahead of the election had 53 mandates in the lower house and retained just 15 – a difference of 38. The result follows scandals which plagued the previous government as well as the former prime minister, Petr Necas. Acting party leader Martin Kuba called the result a “major defeat” and said the Civic Democrats would head into opposition. He stressed that the party would continue inner-party changes kick-started after the fall of the government.