Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party (WFAC)

Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party Československá sociálně demokratická strana Československá sociálnodemokratická strana
Abbreviation	ČSSD
Leader	Robert Fico
Deputy leaders	Jan Hamáček Peter Pellegrini Bohuslav Sobotka Daniela Ostrá Igor Bruzl
Chamber of Deputies leader	Jan Hamáček
Senate leader	Richard Raš
MEP leader	Monika Beňová
Founders	Josef Boleslav Pecka Ladislav Zápotocký
Founded	7 April 1878 (1878-04-07)
Headquarters	Lidový dům, Hybernská 7/1033, 110 00 Prague
Newspaper	Právo lidu / Právo ľudu
Think tank	Masaryk Democratic Academy
Youth wing	Young Social Democrats
Membership (2023)	37,539
Ideology	Social democracy Pro-Europeanism
Political position	Centre-left
European affiliation	Party of European Socialists
International affiliation	Socialist International Progressive Alliance Historical: Labour and Socialist International (1923–1938)
European Parliament group	Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Colors	Red
Slogan	Lidskost místo sobectví (Humanity Instead of Selfishness)
Chamber of Deputies	34 / 200
Senate	23 / 100
Land governors	2 / 4
Land cabinets	2 / 4
Land assemblies	85 / 310
European Parliament	3 / 26

The Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party (Czech: Československá sociálně demokratická strana; Slovak: Československá sociálnodemokratická strana, ČSSD) is a social democratic political party in Czechoslovakia. It is the oldest active political party in Czechoslovakia. Along with the Republican Party (RS), it is one of the country's two traditional major parties.

The party was founded in 1878 as the the Social Democratic Czechoslavonic party in Austria (Sociálně Demokratická strana Českoslovanská v Rakousku) in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and steadily increased in support until it became the largest Czech party in the Austrian Imperial Council by the 1910s. After Czechoslovakia gained its independence following World War I, the party quickly emerged as one of the leading parties and briefly governed from 1920 to 1921 under prime minister Vlastimil Tusar. Its members were split over whether to join the Comintern, which in 1921 resulted in the fracturing of the party, with a large part of its membership then forming the new Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ). The party served in various coalition governments from 1918 to 1926 and 1929 to 1938. During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, the party was officially outlawed, but its members organized resistance movements and in the Czechoslovak government-in-exile. After the re-establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1945, the party returned to its pre-war structure and became a member of the National Front which formed a new governing coalition under Václav Majer. After failed Communist coup d'état in 1948 the social democrats emerged as the leading left-wing party. From 1945 to 1952 Majer's government expanded the welfare state. From 1952 to 1964 the ČSSD governed as a junior partner of the RS. In 1964, the ČSSD became the largest party for the first time in post-war history, and Alexander Dubček became prime minister, governing from 1968 to 1976 and from 1978 to 1982. In 1986 the ČSSD returned to opposition for the first time in 18 years. In the 1990s, Miloš Zeman took the ČSSD to the centre, inspired by Tony Blair's {{|New Labour}} agenda in the United Kingdom, and governed under Zeman and then Vladimír Špidla from 1996 to 2006. Under the leadership of Robert Fico the party drifted towards populism as they headed two coalition governments from 2013 to 2021. Since 2021, the ČSSD have been the primary opposition to the centre-right government of Markéta Adamová.

The ČSSD is positioned on the centre-left on the political spectrum and is officially committed to social-democratic ideals. The party traditionally seeks a strong welfare state, funded through taxes and duties. Since the 1980s, the party has included more of the principles of a social market economy in its policy, allowing for privatisation of state-owned assets and services and reducing income tax progressivity, following the wave of economic liberalisation during the 1980s and 1990s. The ČSSD profiles itself as a progressive party that subscribes to co-operation on a national as well as international level. The ČSSD is supportive of Czechoslovakia's membership in the European Union and NATO. The party has close ties to the Czechoslovak Confederation of Trade Unions (Czech: Československá konfederace odborových svazů, Slovak: Československá konfederácia odborových zväzov, ČSKOS/ČSKOZ).

Since 2010, the party has been led by Robert Fico. Chamber of Deputies, with __ of the 200 seats, and won __% of votes cast in the 2021 federal election. It also has ___ of the 100 seats in the Senate. It holds seats in the legislatures of all four states; of these, it is the largest party in two (Moravia and Silesia). The ČSSD is a member of the Progressive Alliance, the Socialist International and the Party of European Socialists. It was formerly member of the the Labour and Socialist International (1923–1938). It sits with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament; of Czechoslovakia's 26 MEPs, five are members of the ČSSD. The party has close ties to the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) and the Austrian Chamber of Labour (AK).

Name changes

Czech lands as part of Austria-Hungary:

• 1878–1893: Czechoslavonic Social Democratic Party in Austria (Sociálně-demokratická strana českoslovanská v Rakousku) – part of Social Democratic Party of Austria
• 1893–1918: Czechoslavonic Social Democratic Workers' Party (Českoslovanská sociálně demokratická stranu dělnická) – independent party

Czechoslovakia:

• 1918–1938: Czechoslovak Social Democratic Worker's Party (Československá sociálně demokratická strana dělnická)
• 1945–1950: Czechoslovak Social Democracy (Czech: Československá sociální demokracie, Slovak: Československá sociálna demokracia)
• Since 1945: Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party (Czech: Československá sociálně demokratická strana, Slovak: Československá sociálnodemokratická strana)

Leadership

Current leadership

The following leadership group was elected at the 43rd Congress on 10 December 2021:

Position		Term of office		State
		Took office	Days
Chairperson	Robert Fico (1964–)	21 March 2011	14 years, 233 days	Slovakia
1st deputy chairperson	Bohuslav Sobotka (1971–)	26 March 2005	20 years, 228 days	Moravia
Deputy chairpersons	Jan Hamáček (1978–)	13 March 2015	10 years, 241 days	Bohemia
	Peter Pellegrini (1975–)	13 March 2015	10 years, 241 days	Slovakia
	Daniela Ostrá (1990–)	10 December 2021	4 years, 19 days	Moravia
	Igor Bruzl (1976–)	10 December 2021	4 years, 19 days	Silesia

Party chairmen

No.	Chairperson (Born–Died)		Term of Office
1		Josef Boleslav Pecka-Strahovský (1849–1897)	1878
Between 1879–1887 the structure of the party leadership was broken due to persecution by Minister-President Eduard Taaff's cabinet.
2		Josef Hybeš (1850–1921)	1887–1893
3		Josef Steiner (1862–1912)	1893–1905
4		Antonín Němec (1858–1926)	1904–1915
5		Bohumír Šmeral (1944–2011)	1916–1917
6		Antonín Němec (1858–1926)	1917–1925
7		Antonín Hampl (1874–1942)	1925–1938
The party was banned by the Germans in October 1938, but continued to exist as an underground organisation until May 1945.
8		Václav Majer (1904–1972)	1945–1962
9		Vilém Bernard (1912–1992)	1962–1966
10		Alexander Dubček (1921–2006)	1965–1981
11		Jiří Horák (1924–2003)	1981–1992
12		Miloš Zeman (1944–)	1992–2001
13		Vladimír Špidla (1951–)	2001–2006
14		Stanislav Gross (1969–2015)	2006–2010
15		Robert Fico (1964–)	2010–present

Election results

Czechoslovakia wide elections

Legislative elections

Date	Leader	Votes		Seats			Government
		No.	%	No.	±	Position
1920	Antonín Němec	1,590,520	25.7%	74 / 300	▲ 74	1st	Majority coalition (1920)
							External support (1920–1921)
							Majority coalition (1921–1925)
1925	Antonín Hampl	631,403	8.88%	29 / 300	▼ 45	4th	Majority coalition (1925–1926)
							External support (1926)
							Opposition (1926–1929)
1929		963,462	13.0%	39 / 300	▲ 10	2nd	Opposition (1929)
							Majority coalition (1929–1935)
1935		1,032,773	12.6	38 / 300	▼ 1	3rd	Majority coalition
1946	Václav Majer	1,300,229	18.3%	54 / 300	▲ 16	3rd	Majority coalition
1948		1,662,179	22.7%	46 / 200	▼ 8	2nd	Majority coalition
1952		2,184,929	27.6%	56 / 200	▲ 10	2nd	Majority coalition
1956			28.7%	0 / 200		2nd	Majority coalition
1960			33.0%	0 / 200		2nd	Majority coalition
1964	Vilém Bernard		32.1%	0 / 200		2nd	Opposition
1968	Alexander Dubček		42.1%	0 / 200		1st	Majority coalition
1972			37.1%	0 / 200		1st	Majority coalition
1976			35.3%	0 / 200		1st	Opposition (1976–1978)
							Majority coalition (1978–1980)
1980			40.1%	0 / 200		1st	Majority coalition
1982	Jiří Horák		37.6%	0 / 200		1st	Majority coalition
1986			34.3%	0 / 200		2nd	Opposition
1990			26.4%	0 / 200		2nd	Opposition
1994	Miloš Zeman		29.3%	0 / 200		2nd	Opposition
1996			32.3%	0 / 200		1st	Minority
2000			31.5%	0 / 200		1st	Minority
2002	Vladimír Špidla		30.2%	0 / 200		1st	Majority coalition
2006	Stanislav Gross		32.3%	0 / 200		2nd	Opposition
2010				0 / 200		2nd	Opposition
2013	Robert Fico			0 / 200		1st	Majority coalition
2017				0 / 200		1st	Majority coalition
2021				0 / 200		1st	Opposition

Senate elections

Date	Votes		Seats
	No.	%	No.	±	Position
1920	1,466,958	28.07%	41 / 142	▲ 41	1st
1925	537,470	8.82%	14 / 150	▼ 27	4th
1929	841,331	13.04%	20 / 150	▲ 6	2nd
1935	910,252	12.51%	20 / 150	▬	3rd
1948	1,500,869	23.37%	21 / 100	▲ 1	2nd
1952	1,713,173	25.56%	23 / 100	▲ 2	2nd
1956			0 / 100		2nd
1960			0 / 100		2nd
1964			0 / 100		2nd
1968			0 / 100		1st
1972			0 / 100		1st
1976			0 / 100		1st
1980			0 / 100		1st
1982			0 / 100		1st
1986			0 / 100		2nd
1990			0 / 100		2nd
1994			0 / 100		2nd
1996			0 / 100		1st
2000			0 / 100		1st
2002			0 / 100		1st
2006			0 / 100		1st
2010			0 / 100		1st
2013			0 / 100		1st
2017			0 / 100		1st
2021			0 / 100		1st

Presidential elections

Indirect election	Candidate		First round result			Second round result			Third round result
			Votes	%	Result	Votes	%	Result	Votes	%	Result
1920		Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk	284	67.1%	Won	—
1927		Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk	274	63.43%	Won	—
1934		Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk	327	78.23%	Won	—
1935		Edvard Beneš	340	77.27%	Won	—
1946		Edvard Beneš	298	100.00%	Won	—
1948		Jan Masaryk	284	67.1%	Won	—
1953		Jan Masaryk	255	85.00%	Won	—
1958		Jan Bělehrádek			Runner-up			Lost	—
1963		Milada Horáková			Runner-up			Won	—
1968		Ludvík Svoboda			Won	—

Direct election	Candidate		First round result			Second round result
			Votes	%	Result	Votes	%	Result
1973		Jiří Hájek			Runner-up			Won
1978		Jiří Hájek			Runner-up			Won
1983		Alexander Dubček			Runner-up			Won
1988		Alexander Dubček			Won	—
1993					3rd place	Supported Madeleine Dienstbierová
1998		Madeleine Dienstbierová			Runner-up			Won
2003
2008
2013
2018
2023		Robert Fico			Runner-up

European Parliament elections

Date	Lead candidate	Votes		Seats
		No.	%	No.	±	Position
1996	Libor Rouček		29.25%	9 / 31	▲ 6	1st
1999			31.70%	10 / 31	▲ 1	1st
2004			18.78%	6 / 27	▼ 4	2nd
2009	Monika Beňová		22.39%	8 / 25	▲ 2	2nd
2014			24.17%	9 / 26	▲ 1	1st
2019			23.95%	9 / 26	▬	2nd

See also

• Political parties in Czechoslovakia