scholarly journals Regional Election in Czech Republic 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 31-37
Author(s):  
Mikhail Vedernikov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
Election Campaign ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Political Preferences ◽  
Regional Associations ◽  
Regional Authorities ◽  
Expert Community ◽  
Regional Elections ◽  
Second Wave

On October 2-3, 2020, regional elections were held in the Czech Republic amid the second wave of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic. Despite the traditional attitude to this election as secondary, its significance for the expert community was in the fact that it made possible to study political preferences of the population on the eve of the upcoming elections in 2021. Although the citizens of the Czech Republic preferred ANO movement, analysts noted the strengthening of the opposition forces – Pirate Party, the Civil Democratic Party and the STAN movement. The main feature of their participation in the last election campaign was their coalition with regional associations and movements, which made it possible to mobilize the population and claim more active participation in the work of regional authorities. Thus, scholars concluded that this approach could become the key to success in 2021. In turn, the ANO’s coalition partners tend to weaken their positions. Their fate in the future parliament was uncertain.

Activity of modern right-wing radical parties in the Czech Republic

2019 ◽  
pp. 164-173
Author(s):  
Tetiana Fedorchak
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
Party System ◽  
Social Programs ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Political Radicalism

The author investigates political radicalism in the Czech Republic, a rather heterogeneous current considering the structure of participants: from political parties to the extremist organizations. The peculiarity of the Czech party system is the existence, along with typical radical parties, of other non-radical parties whose representatives support xenophobic, nationalist and anti-Islamic statements. This is primarily the Civil Democratic Party, known for its critical attitude towards European integration, and the Communist party of the Czech Republic and Moravia, which opposes Czech membership in NATO and the EU. Among the Czech politicians, who are close to radical views, analysts include the well-known for its anti-Islamic position of the Czech President M. Zeman and the leader of the movement ANO, billionaire A. Babich. Voters vote for them not because their economic or social programs are particularly attractive to the electorate, but because of dissatisfaction with the economic situation in the state. Almost all right populist parties oppose European integration, interpreting it as an anti-national project run by an elite distorted by a deficit of democracy and corruption. Keywords: Czech Republic, right-wing radical political parties, European integration, nationalism.

scholarly journals Dynamics of seroconversion of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in the Czech unvaccinated population: nationwide prospective seroconversion (PROSECO) study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Piler ◽  
Vojtěch Thon ◽  
Lenka Andrýsková ◽  
Kamil Doležel ◽  
David Kostka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Igg Antibodies ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Government Data ◽  
Low Incidence ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Second Wave

AbstractBackgroundAlthough the Czech Republic weathered the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic with relatively low incidence, the second wave of the global pandemic saw it rank among countries bearing the greatest COVID-19 burden, both in Europe and on a worldwide scale. The aim of the nationwide prospective seroconversion (PROSECO) study was to investigate the dynamics of seroconversion of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in the Czech population.MethodsAll clients of the second largest health insurance company in the Czech Republic were sent a written invitation to participate in this longitudinal study. The study includes the first 30,054 persons who provided a blood sample between October 2020 and March 2021. Seroprevalence was compared between calendar periods of blood sample collection, RT-PCR test results, sociodemographic factors, and other characteristics.FindingsThe data show a dramatic increase in seropositivity over time, from 28% in October/November 2020 to 43% in December 2020/January 2021 to 51% in February/March 2021. These trends were consistent with government data on cumulative viral antigenic prevalence in the population captured by PCR testing – although the seroprevalence rates established in this study were considerably higher than those listed in government data. Data pooled across the entire study period exhibited minor differences in seropositivity between sexes, age groups and body mass index categories; results were similar between test providing laboratories. Seropositivity was substantially higher among symptomatic vs. asymptomatic persons (76% vs. 34%). At least one third of all seropositive participants were asymptomatic, and 28% participants who developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 never underwent PCR testing.InterpretationAntibody response provides a better marker of past SARS-CoV-2 infection than PCR testing data. Our data on seroconversion confirm the rapidly increasing prevalence in the Czech population during the dramatically rising pandemic wave prior to the beginning of massive vaccination. The planned second and third assessment of the study participants (April 2021 – September 2021, October 2021 – March 2022) will provide valuable evidence on the seroprevalence changes following vaccination and persistence of antibodies resulting from natural infection and vaccination.Research in contextEvidence before this studySimilarly to most European countries, the first COVID-19 epidemic wave in the Czech Republic produced a relatively low incidence (86.9 confirmed cases per 100,000 persons over three months). At the peaks of the second wave, however, over 100 confirmed cases per 100,000 persons were diagnosed daily and the Czech Republic ranked among the countries with the greatest burden of COVID-19 in Europe and in the world. Only a few nationwide population-based studies have been published covering the second wave of the epidemic in Europe, and none of them from the Central and Eastern European region.Added value of this studyThe PROSECO study will provide key data from the heavily affected Central European region and contribute to the epidemiological and serological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. All 30,054 study participants were recruited between October 2020 and March 2021, thus covering all three epidemic peaks (November 2020, January and March 2021) of the second COVID-19 epidemic wave. This allows us to follow the dynamics of seroconversion of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in the immunologically naive and unvaccinated population during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study participants will be re-assessed in the second (April 2021 – September 2021) and third (October 2021 – March 2022) PROSECO phases to further study the post-infection/post-vaccination dynamics of seroconversion in/after a period of massive vaccination.Implications of all the available evidenceData from the first phase of the PROSECO study indicate that the percentage of the population that has been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 may be substantially higher than estimates based on official data on cumulative viral positivity incidence as at least one third of seropositive participants were asymptomatic, and 28% of participants who developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 never underwent PCR testing. Regional seroprevalence data provide key information to inform, in combination with other surveillance data, public health policies and will be instrumental for the successful management of the subsequent phases of the global pandemic.The number of seropositive participants who never underwent RT-PCR testing demonstrates the importance of serological population-based studies describing the spread and exposure to the virus in the population over time.

Czech Republic

2019 ◽  
pp. 103-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Bazyler ◽  
Kathryn Lee Boyd ◽  
Kristen L. Nelson ◽  
Rajika L. Shah
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Nazi Occupation ◽  
Velvet Revolution ◽  
Communal Property ◽  
Property Transfers ◽  
Anti Jewish ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Independent Country

During World War II, Nazi Germany occupied the territory comprising the modern-day Czech Republic (previously part of the independent country of Czechoslovakia), creating the Protectorate of Moravia and Bohemia. All Jews in the Protectorate became subject to German jurisdiction and anti-Jewish laws, including German laws on expropriation of Jewish property. Immediately after the war, Czechoslovakia enacted legislation invalidating property transfers made during Nazi occupation. The measures were short-lived, however, because the country fell under Communist rule that resulted in a second wave of confiscations from all persons. It was not until after the Velvet Revolution in 1989 that new immovable property restitution laws were enacted for private and communal property. The Czech Republic endorsed the Terezin Declaration in 2009 and the Guidelines and Best Practices in 2010.

scholarly journals Assesment of sustainable regional development by means of indicators in conditions of Czech Republic

2008 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 67-78
Author(s):  
Barbora Hrdinová ◽  
Helena Pavlíčková
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Regional Level ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Its Regions ◽  
Regional Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Regional Development ◽  
Regional Authorities ◽  
Different Levels

The main goal of the article is to summarise existing methods of assessment of sustainable development at different levels (world, national, regional) and to consider the usage of one set of indicators – European common indicators – in the conditions of the Czech Republic and its regions. As there are many different methods for evaluating the sustainable development and this methodology has not been unified so far, it is not all clear, especially for regional authorities, what methodology to use, if they are willing to monitor and analyse the level of sustainable development in their regions. Most of the worldwide or national set of indicators are not very suitable for the regional level and vice versa.In the course of the analysis of existing methodology the authors selected one of them, which seemed to be perfectly suitable for the regional sustainable development and set out the hypothesis concer­ning the question if this methodology could be transferred and applied into the Czech regional conditions without any change and how does it interfere with the national set of indicators.In the final part of this article and in the discussion these two methodologies are compared, partial changes are proposed and certain new considerations are offered.

scholarly journals The Eurosceptical and Autonomous Discourses on the Process of European Integration of the Czech Republic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleksandr Poveda
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Communist Party ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
The European Union ◽  
National Interests ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Eu

The peculiarities of the attitude of the two leading Czech political parties regarding the process of European integration through the prism of the effectiveness of the protection of national interests at the supranational level are analyzed in the given article. While conducting this study, it was revealed, that once it became clear that accession to the European Union would inevitably require certain national concessions from the Czech Republic, the leading Civic Democratic Party began to declare an increasingly Eurosceptic position. Gradually, EU membership was considered by it only through the prism of realizing the economic interests of the country. Civic Democrats have become even more vigorous opponents of deepening European integration and have strongly opposed the adoption of a common EU Constitution and federalization and have opposed any attempt to alienate part of national sovereignty in favor of the EU, since the Czech Republic joined the European Union. The author emphasizes that the disapproval by CDP of further European integration is explained by the historical fears of many Czechs, who are convinced that the development of the EU in a federal direction is in line with German interests and aspirations to dominate in Europe. The author also stresses on the fact, that the anti-German attitude of the Civic Democrats stems from the history of relations between two nations which have never been friendly and is explained by fears about further economic expansion of Germany in the Czech Republic. It was found that the discourse of Czech Communists on European integration is quite autonomous, because, in contrast to the CDP (and in general to all other parliamentary parties of the country), which although remains critical of the EU, but it does not question the Czech Republic membership in the European Union, the Communist Party does not consider any prospects for the functioning of the EU at all, and it does not consider the expediency of Czech Prepublic membership in it. Key words: Czech Republic; European integration; Civic Democratic Party; Communist Party of the Czech Republic and Moravia; Euroscepticism; Autonomist discourse.

scholarly journals Eurosceptycyzm znad Wełtawy. Inspiracja brytyjska czy oryginalny wariant czeskich konserwatystów?

2018 ◽  
pp. 67-88
Author(s):  
Paweł LESZCZYŃSKI
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
British Variety

The aim of this paper is to reveal the connections between the British version of Euroskepticism (as one variety of this political and intellectual phenomenon) and its Czech variant, personified by the present President of the Czech Republic – Vaclav Klaus. The paper discusses the fundamental elements of the Euroskeptical outlook that are sometimes presented to public opinion in EU states as ‘Eurorealism.’ The British variety is presented alongside the most important elements of the same concept in France and Denmark. Although Czech Europskepticism refers to numerous significant structural elements of its British predecessor, it has a number of original features. Among others, they result from the geopolitical conditions of Central Europe. The author analyzes the statements of the present Czech president (who once described himself as a Thatcherist) to show his essential influence on the shape of Euroskeptical attitudes on the Vltava. The author also presents the most important foreign policy documents of the former political circles of Vaclav Klaus, i.e. the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), with their Europskeptical overtones. The paper concludes with the author’s observations concerning the similarities and discrepancies between British and Czech attitudes.

scholarly journals Return to the New Normal: Empirical Analysis of Changes in E-consumer Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
František Pollák ◽  
Peter Markovič ◽  
Roman Vavrek ◽  
Michal Konečný
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Empirical Model ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Second Wave

The global pandemic caused by the new coronavirus has largely changed established business practices. The aim of the study is to present the results of eighteen-month intensive research into the effects of the pandemic on e-consumer behavior. In one of the most active e-commerce markets in Europe, the Czech Republic, we analyzed a sample of more than one and a half million Facebook users in terms of their C2B interactions on the B2C activities of the five major e-commerce market players. The measurements were carried out in three periods, which corresponded to the onset of the first wave, peak, and fading of the second wave of the pandemic. This enabled us to monitor the effect of seasonality and the stabilization of patterns of consumer behavior during the coronavirus crisis. The results suggest that a specific panic pattern of e-consumer behavior was developed at the time of the onset of the pandemic. However, as the pandemic progressed, the market has adapted to a new normal, which, as evidenced by the change in trends, appears to be a combination of the pre-pandemic and pandemic behavioral patterns. Using a statistical analysis, it was possible to identify delta of changes within the patterns of consumer behavior, thus fulfilling the final condition for creating an empirical model of the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on e-consumer behavior presented in this study.

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