Civic Democratic Alliance

Civic Democratic Alliance

Občanská demokratická aliance
Civic Democratic Alliance Občanská demokratická aliance
Founded	5 March 1990
Dissolved	13 July 2007
Preceded by	Civic Forum
Headquarters	U Společenské zahrady 6 140 00 Prague 4
Newspaper	Zpravodaj
Youth wing	Conservative Club of Young
Membership (2007)	300
Ideology	Conservative liberalism
Political position	Centre-right
European affiliation	European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
Colours	Blue
	Politics of the Czech Republic; Political parties; Elections;

The Civic Democratic Alliance (Czech: Občanská demokratická aliance, ODA) was a conservative-liberal^[2]^[3] political party in the Czech Republic, active between 1989 (founded shortly after the Velvet revolution) and 2007. The ODA was part of government coalitions until 1997 and participated in transformation of the Czech economy. The party was supported by president Václav Havel who voted for it in 1992 and 1996 election.^[4]

History

The ODA was established in 1989 by a group of intellectuals as a conservative-liberal party, based on ideas often expressed in The Salisbury Review. The other motive was personal antipathy to Václav Klaus and his party Civic Democratic Party (ODS).

In 1992 legislative election, ODA obtained over 300,000 votes (5,93 per cent of all votes) and gained 14 seats in Czech National Council. It became part of right-wing coalition (First government of Václav Klaus) together with the ODS, Christian and Democratic Union (KDU–ČSL) and Christian Democratic Party (KDS).

In 1996 legislative election, the ODA obtained 6.36 per cent of votes and again formed coalition with the ODS and KDU–ČSL (the second government of Václav Klaus). However, this government didn't manage to form majority in the Chamber of Deputies and so was depending on toleration of the centre-left Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) (government disposed of 99 deputies out of 200, social democrats of 61 deputies and non-system parties of 40 deputies). Following financial scandals of the ODS, the coalition fell apart. Both the ODS and KDU-ČSL participated in caretaker government of Josef Tošovský.

It didn't participate in 1998 legislative election, in order "to not split votes on the right-wing". The ODA formed the Four-Coalition with the KDU–ČSL, Freedom Union and Democratic Union in opposition to the grand coalition of the centre-right ODS and centre-left ČSSD. However, the ODA became the coalition's weakest member, and after its funding problems came to light, it ceased to take part in the Czech political scene. It only had one senator, Karel Schwarzenberg (Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic since 2007). The party ceased activity on 31 December 2007.

Czech billionaire Pavel Sehnal announced in December 2016 that he established a new Civic Democratic Alliance. Leaders of the original ODA weren't involved with the new party.^[5]

Election results

Chamber of Deputies

Year	Vote	Vote %	Seats	Place	Govt?
1990	...	...	11 / 200 ^[6]	6th	Yes
1992	383,705	5.93%	14 / 200	7th	Yes
1996	385,369	6.36%	13 / 200	6th	Yes
1998	did not contest	...	...	...	No
2002	24,278	0.5%	0 / 200	13th	No

Seats in the Chamber of Deputies

Senate

Year	Seats
1996	7 / 81
1998	4 / 27
2000	1 / 27
2002	0 / 27
2004	1 / 27
2006	0 / 27

Seats in the Senate

Presidential

Indirect Election	Candidate		First round result			Second round result			Third round result
Indirect Election	Candidate		Votes	%Votes	Result	Votes	%Votes	Result	Votes	%Votes	Result
1993		Václav Havel	109	63.37	Won	—
1998		Václav Havel	130	70.65	Runner-up	146	52.3	Won	—

European Parliament

Year	Vote	Vote %	Seats
2004	39 655	1.69%	0

Leaders

Pavel Bratinka (1989-1992)
Jan Kalvoda (1992-1997)
Michael Žantovský (1997)
Jiří Skalický (1997-1998)
Daniel Kroupa (1998-2001)
Michael Žantovský (2001-2002)
Jiřina Nováková (2002-2007)

References

^ "Výslech předsedkyně ODA - On-line rozhovor - iDNES.cz". Lidovky.cz. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
^ Hans Slomp (2000). European Politics Into the Twenty-first Century: Integration and Division. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-275-96800-7.
^ Tadeusz Buksiński (2009). Democracy in Western and Postcommunist Countries: Twenty Years After the Fall of Communism. Peter Lang. p. 240. ISBN 978-3-631-58543-6.
^ "Před 25 lety vznikla strana ODA. Vzpomínáte na Kalvodu, Dlouhého, Žantovského?". www.parlamentnilisty.cz. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
^ "Miliardář Sehnal obnovuje ODA. Kdysi slavná značka se vrací - Seznam Zprávy". www.seznam.cz. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
^ elected as candidates of Civic Forum

External links

Civic Democratic Alliance official site
Short history in narrative form (in Czech)

[1] "Výslech předsedkyně ODA - On-line rozhovor - iDNES.cz". Lidovky.cz. Retrieved 26 March 2017.

[Slomp2000-2] Hans Slomp (2000). European Politics Into the Twenty-first Century: Integration and Division. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-275-96800-7.

[Buksiński2009-3] Tadeusz Buksiński (2009). Democracy in Western and Postcommunist Countries: Twenty Years After the Fall of Communism. Peter Lang. p. 240. ISBN 978-3-631-58543-6.

[4] "Před 25 lety vznikla strana ODA. Vzpomínáte na Kalvodu, Dlouhého, Žantovského?". www.parlamentnilisty.cz. Retrieved 14 June 2016.

[5] "Miliardář Sehnal obnovuje ODA. Kdysi slavná značka se vrací - Seznam Zprávy". www.seznam.cz. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.

[6] ted as candidates of Civic Forum

[2]

[3]

[4]

[1]

[5]

[6]