Factionalism in parliamentary parties in the Czech Republic: A concept and some empirical findings

Since the breakdown of the communist regime, the occurrence of various subgroups and factions within political parties has been a prominent characteristic of the emerging party system in the Czech Republic. This article first argues that existing concepts concerning factions acquire a different meaning in the context of non‐consolidated party systems, where party identities and organizations are weak. Second, it is argued that factional conflicts within the Czech political parties are likely to be confined to the level of the parliamentary elite. On the basis of some empirical evidence, a survey of Czech parliamentarians, the conclusion is drawn that in spite of the remarkable stabilization of the political parties of the Czech right, the potential for disruptive factional conflicts remains fairly high.