Decentralization in the Czech Republic: The European Union, Political Parties, and the Creation of Regional Assemblies

This study begins with an exploration of the external (European Union) and internal (Czech political parties) forces that shaped the creation of regional assemblies in the Czech Republic. The institutional and administrative requirements of EU regional policy served as a catalyst for the creation of Czech regional governments. Domestic struggles over decentralization, particularly among Czech political parties, are reflected in the number and boundaries of the regions as well as in the slow transfer of policy competences from the national government to regional governments. This study also examines the November 2000 regional elections and places the results in the context of the 2002 parliamentary elections. Party support clustered by region, but the position that parties took on the creation of regional assemblies did not impact electoral success in the regional elections, nor did party success or failure in the regional elections forecast electoral fortunes in the parliamentary elections. The regional and national elections reflected low voter turnout, relatively strong support for the Communist party, and a dramatic rise and fall of party coalitions. Copyright 2004, Oxford University Press.