Republican Party (WFAC)

Republican Party Czech: Republikánská strana Slovak: Republikánska strana
Abbreviation	RS
Leader	Markéta Adamová
Deputy leaders	Petr Fiala Ľudovít Kaník Zbyněk Stanjura Alexandr Vondra
Chamber of Deputies leader	Marek Benda
Senate leader	Mikuláš Dzurinda
MEP leader	Veronika Vrecionová
Founded	6 January 1899 (1899-01-06)
Headquarters	Švehlův dům, Opletalova 1603/57, 110 00 Prague
Newspaper	Venkov
Membership (2021)	35,100 ▼
Ideology	Conservatism Liberal conservatism Agrarianism Pro-Europeanism
Political position	Centre-right to right-wing
National affiliation	Spolu
European affiliation	European People's Party
International affiliation	International Democrat Union Historical: International Agrarian Bureau (1921–1938)
European Parliament group	European People's Party Group
Colors	Since 1945:   Blue Until 1945:   Green
Chamber of Deputies	70 / 300
Senate	23 / 150
Land governors	2 / 4
Land cabinets	2 / 4
Land assemblies	85 / 310
European Parliament	6 / 26

Republican Party (Czech: Republikánská strana; Slovak: Republikánska strana, RS), is a conservative and agrarian political party in Czechoslovakia. It is one of the two traditional main political parties in Czechoslovakia, along with the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party (ČSSD).

The party was founded in 1899 as the Czech Agrarian Party (Česká strana agrární) and emerged as one of the leading Czech parties in the Austrian Imperial Council. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary at the end of World War I, the party merged with the Slovak National Republican and Peasant Party, adopting the name Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants (Republikánská strana zemědělského a malorolnického lidu, Slovak: Republikánska strana zemedelského a maloroľníckeho ľudu, RSZML) in 1922. Under the leadership of Antonín Švehla, the party combined the principle of progressive social legislation with pragmatism and favoured cooperation with the socialists. From 1922 to 1938 the party was as the largest party and played an important and influential political role in the interwar era, and were the core of all centre-left and centre-right coalition governments, holding the office of prime minister. During the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany, the party was officially abolished, but its members organized resistance movements and in the Czechoslovak government-in-exile. After World War II, the party was refounded and has since 1945 been one of the two traditional major parties in Czechoslovakia. It was the most popular party until 1968, and has governed in grand coalitions with the ČSSD as the senior partner in grand coalitions from 1945 to 1964 and the junior partner from 1978 to 1982. The RS has also headed various centre-right coalitions from 1964 to 1968, 1976 to 1978, 1986 to 1996, 2006 to 2013 and since 2021.

The party is traditionally a pragmatic, relatively technocratic and politically moderate conservative party whose voting and financial support base has historically consisted primarily of homeowners, business owners, farmers and middle class voters, especially in rural and suburban areas. The party generally sits centre-right to right-wing on the political spectrum and advocates liberal economic policies favouring free markets, tax cuts, deregulation and semi-privatisation, although historically it advocated for economic protectionism. The RS also advocates public finances without debts, support for families with children, support of progressive social legislation, reducing bureaucracy, individual rights, tougher law and order measures, the right of law abiding citizens to own and carry firearms, and pro-Europeanism. During the Cold War era, the party was the most outspokenly pro-US party in Czechoslovakia, despite forming a grand consensus with the ČSSD regarding foreign and security policy (known as the Beneš–Masaryk doctrine). Since the end of the Cold War, the Republicans have been the strongest proponents of Czechoslovak membership of NATO and and the European Union, and forming a close alliance with the United States

Since November 2018, the party has been led by Markéta Adamová. It is currently the second largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, with __ of the 200 seats, and won __._% of votes cast in the 2021 federal election. It holds seats in the legislatures of all four states; of these, it is the largest party in two (Bohemia and Slovakia). The party is a member of the International Democrat Union and the European People's Party (EPP). It sits with the EPP group in the European Parliament; of Czechoslovakia's 26 MEPs, 6 are members of the RS.

Symbols

The first symbol used by the party was the four-leaf clover, which along with the International Agrarian Bureau popularized its usage by agrarian parties in interwar period. As the party following World War II seeked to broaden its appeal to voters in order to become the catch-all party of the centre-right, the party introduced in 1945 a new logo featuring a pennant symbolizing the Czechoslovak flag. The party has used this logo with modifications until today.

The RS introduced a new version of the pennant at the party congress in Bratislava in 1984. This logo was used until 2015 with a change of font in 1994 and other minor modifications for individual election campaigns. The RS introduced a version of the logo at the party congress in Prague in 2015.

Party symbol, 1922–1945.

Party symbol, 1945–1984

Republican Party of Czechoslovakia logo 1984 (WFAC).svg

Party symbol, 1984–1994

Republican Party of Czechoslovakia logo 1994 (WFAC).svg

Party symbol, 1994–2000

Republican Party of Czechoslovakia logo 2000 (WFAC).svg

Party symbol, 2000–2015

Current logo, since 2015

Leadership

Party chairmen

No.	Chairperson (Born–Died)		Term of Office
1		Stanislav Kubr (1862–1908)	1899–1905
2		Josef Žďárský (1853–1939)	1905–1909
3		Antonín Švehla (1873–1933)	1909–1933
4		Rudolf Beran (1887–1954)	1935–1938
The party was banned by the Germans in October 1938, but continued to exist as an underground organisation until May 1945.
5		Josef Černý (1885–1971)	1945–1953
6		Jozef Lettrich (1905–1969)	1953–1959
7		Miloslav Rechcígl (1904–1973)	1959–1969
8		Martin Hrabík (1904–1992)	1969–1972
9		Lubor Zink (1920–2003)	1972–1983
10		Václav Klaus (1941–)	1983–2002
11		Mirek Topolánek (1956–)	2002–2013
12		Ľudovít Kaník (1965–)	2013–2018
13		Markéta Pekarová Adamová (1984–)	2018–present

Election results

Cisleithanian elections

Imperial Council elections

Date	Leader	Votes		Seats			Government
		No.	%	No.	±	Position
1900–1901	Stanislav Kubr	1,004	0.09%	2 / 425	▲ 2	27th	Opposition
1907	Josef Žďárský	206,784	4.5%	27 / 516	▲ 25	5th	Opposition
1911	Antonín Švehla	257,727	5.7%	36 / 516	▲ 9	3rd	Opposition

Czechoslovakia wide elections

Legislative elections

Date	Leader	Votes		Seats			Government
		No.	%	No.	±	Position
1920	Antonín Švehla	603,618	9.74%	28 / 281	▼ 27	4th	Majority coalition (1920)
							External support (1920–1921)
							Majority coalition (1921–1925)
1925		970,940	13.66%	45 / 300	▲ 17	1st	Majority coalition (1925–1926)
							External support (1926)
							Majority coalition (1926–1929)
1929		1,105,498	14.97%	46 / 300	▲ 1	1st	Majority coalition (1929–1935)
1935	Rudolf Beran	1,176,628	14.29%	45 / 300	▼ 1	2nd	Majority coalition
1946	Josef Černý	1,992,252	28.05%	85 / 300	▲ 40	1st	Majority coalition
1948		2,243,902	30.66%	62 / 200	▼ 23	1st	Majority coalition
1952		2,709,568	34.20%	69 / 200	▲ 7	1st	Majority coalition
1956	Jozef Lettrich			0 / 200	▼	1st	Majority coalition
1960	Miloslav Rechcígl			0 / 200	▲	1st	Majority coalition
1964				0 / 200	▲	1st	Majority coalition
1968				0 / 200	▼	2nd	Opposition
1972	Martin Hrabík	1,815,078	17.80%	44 / 200	▼	2nd	Opposition
1976	Lubor Zink			0 / 200	▲	2nd	Majority coalition (1976–1978)
							Opposition (1978–1980)
1978				0 / 200	▬	2nd	Majority coalition (1978–1980)
							Opposition (1980–1982)
1982				0 / 200	▼	2nd	Opposition
1986	Václav Klaus			0 / 200	▲	1st	Majority coalition
1990				0 / 200	▲	1st	Majority coalition
1994				0 / 200	▼	1st	Majority coalition (1994–1996)
							Opposition (1996)
1996				0 / 200	▼	2nd	Opposition with other arrangements
2000				0 / 200	▬	2nd	Opposition
2002				0 / 200	▼	2nd	Opposition
2006	Mirek Topolánek			0 / 200	▲	1st	Minority government (2006–2007)
							Majority coalition (2007–2010)
2010				0 / 200	▼	1st	Majority coalition (2010–2013)
							Opposition (2013)
2013				0 / 200	▼	2nd	Opposition
2017	Mikuláš Dzurinda			0 / 200	▼	2nd	Opposition
2021	Marketa Adamová			0 / 200	▲	2nd	Majority coalition

Senate elections

Date	Votes		Seats
	No.	%	No.	±	Position
1920	530,388	10.15%	14 / 150	▲ 14	4th
1925	841,647	13.80%	23 / 150	▲ 9	1st
1929	978,291	15.17%	24 / 150	▲ 1	1st
1935	1,042,924	14.33%	23 / 150	▼ 1	2nd
1948	1,896,613	29.54%	42 / 100	▲ 19	1st
1952			0 / 100
1956			0 / 100
1960			0 / 100
1964			0 / 100
1968			0 / 100
1972			0 / 100
1976			0 / 100
1978			0 / 100
1982			0 / 100
1986			0 / 100
1990			0 / 100
1994			0 / 100
1996			0 / 100
2000			0 / 100
2002			0 / 100
2006			0 / 100
2010			0 / 100
2013			0 / 100
2017			0 / 100
2021			0 / 100

Presidential elections

Indirect Elections

Direct Elections

State assembly elections

Bohemia

Date	Leader	Votes		Seats			Government
		No.	%	No.	±	Position
1928	Antonín Švehla	466,559	13.4%	19 / 120	▲ 19	2nd
1935		542,070	13.4%	19 / 120	▬	2nd
1948	Martin Hrabík	1,176,722	31.2%	37 / 120	▲ 18	1st	Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1951				0 / 120			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1955				0 / 120			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1959				0 / 120			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1963	Vladimír Dostál			0 / 120			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1967				0 / 120			Opposition
1971	Lubor Zink			0 / 120			Coalition
1975				0 / 120			Coalition
1979	Ivan Kaspar			0 / 120			Opposition
1983				0 / 120			Opposition
1987	František Trnka			0 / 120			Coalition
1991				0 / 120			Opposition
1995	Jan Stráský			0 / 120			Opposition
1999				0 / 120			Coalition Kompromisnost
2003				0 / 120			Coalition Kompromisnost
2007	Petr Bendl			0 / 120			Coalition
2011	Jiří Pospíšil			0 / 120			Opposition
2015				0 / 120			Opposition
2019	Martin Kuba			0 / 120			Coalition
2023				0 / 120			Coalition SPOLU

Moravia

Date	Leader	Votes		Seats			Government
		No.	%	No.	±	Position
1928	Antonín Švehla	203,069	12.4%	7 / 60	▲ 19	3rd
1935		263,118	13.9%	9 / 60	▲ 2	3rd
1948	Ladislav Kameníček	506,185	32.50%	20 / 60	▲ 11	1st	Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1953			0.00%	0 / 60			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1957			0.00%	0 / 60			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1961			0.00%	0 / 60			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1965			0.00%	0 / 60			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1969	František Beneš		0.00%	0 / 60			Opposition
1973	Kuneš Sonntag		0.00%	0 / 60			Opposition
1977			0.00%	0 / 60			Majority coalition
1981	Antonín Šlahůnek		0.00%	0 / 60			Majority coalition
1985	Luděk Zahradníček		0.00%	0 / 60			Majority coalition
1989			0.00%	0 / 60			Majority coalition
1993			0.00%	0 / 60			Opposition
1997	Jaroslav Plachý		0.00%	0 / 60			Opposition
2001	Petr Nečas		0.00%	0 / 60			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
2005			0.00%	0 / 60			Majority coalition
2009			0.00%	0 / 60			Majority coalition
2013	Petr Fiala		0.00%	0 / 60			Opposition
2017			0.00%	0 / 60			Opposition
2021			0.00%	0 / 60			Coalition SPOLU

Silesia

Date	Leader	Votes		Seats			Government
		No.	%	No.	±	Position
1948	Antonín Čuřík	97,742	19.10%	6 / 30	▲ 6	3rd	Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1950			0.00%	0 / 30			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1954			0.00%	0 / 30			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1958			0.00%	0 / 200			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1962			0.00%	0 / 200			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1966			0.00%	0 / 30			Opposition
1970			0.00%	0 / 30			Opposition
1974			0.00%	0 / 30			Opposition
1978			0.00%	0 / 30			Opposition
1982	František Konečný		0.00%	0 / 30			Opposition
1986			0.00%	0 / 30			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1990			0.00%	0 / 30			Opposition
1994	Evžen Tošenovský		0.00%	0 / 30			Opposition
1998			0.00%	0 / 30			Majority coalition
2002			0.00%	0 / 30			Majority coalition
2006			0.00%	0 / 30			Opposition
2010	David Sventek		0.00%	0 / 30			Opposition
2014			0.00%	0 / 30			Opposition
2018	Jakub Unucka		0.00%	0 / 30			Opposition
2022			0.00%	0 / 30			Majority coalition

Slovakia

Date	Leader	Votes		Seats			Government
		No.	%	No.	±	Position
1928	Milan Hodža	271,520	21.00%	16 / 54	▲ 16	2nd
1935		285,672	18.90%	15 / 54	▼ 1	2nd
1948	Jozef Lettrich	573,276	32.71%	33 / 100	▲ 33	1st	Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1954	Ján Lichner		0.00%	0 / 100			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1960			0.00%	0 / 100			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1964			0.00%	0 / 100			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1968	Rudolf Fraštacký		0.00%	0 / 100			Majority coalition Kompromisnost
1972			0.00%	0 / 100			Majority coalition
1976			0.00%	0 / 100			Majority coalition
1980			0.00%	0 / 100			Opposition
1984	Ladislav Pittner		0.00%	0 / 100			Opposition
1988			0.00%	0 / 100			Opposition (1988―1990)
							Minority coalition (1990―1992)
1992			0.00%	0 / 100			Opposition
1996	Mikuláš Dzurinda		0.00%	0 / 100			Majority coalition
2000			0.00%	0 / 100			Majority coalition
2004			0.00%	0 / 100			Opposition
2008	Iveta Radičová		0.00%	0 / 100			Majority coalition
2012			0.00%	0 / 100			Opposition
2016	Ľudovít Kaník		0.00%	0 / 100			Opposition
2020			0.00%	0 / 100			Majority coalition

See also

• Political parties in Czechoslovakia