Czech Republic: Declining Bipolarity and New Patterns of Conflict

The chapter is part of a publication released as part of a comparative politics series that examines coalition governments and coalition governance in ten countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The book provides a study of the entire life cycle of government coalitions in a region that has undergone a massive political transformation, yet the issues of coalition formation and coalition governance have not yet been studied there. The chapter provides information and analysis of the life cycle of coalitions in the Czech Republic, from pre-election alliances to coalition formation and the distribution of ministries. It analyzes the functioning of government coalitions and the situations that ultimately lead to the end of a government, as well as the success of coalition parties in subsequent elections.