The quality of democracy in the Czech Republic

The main aim of the paper is to assess the quality of democracy in the Czech Republic. The functioning of the Czech democracy is evaluated according to the international comparative methodology – Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI). This method has allowed the authors to analyse the democratic processes in the Czech Republic in terms of comparative and theoretically grounded criteria while at the same time contextualising the overall domestic development within the setting of Central and East European (CEE) and other ‘new democracies’. The main stress is placed on the basic aspects of the quality of democracy in the Czech Republic in the CEE context and on its strengths and weaknesses. While the Czech Republic has developed a stable political system and institutions, as well as a clear separation of the individual institutions, it is still struggling to strengthen the relationship between the latter and the citizens. This fact can potentially endanger the legitimacy of the entire democratic order. Building social cohesion and elimination social exclusion are thus very important current issues. The last section contextualises Czech democracy within Central Europe and concludes that the Czech Republic is, despite various long-term problems, a classic consolidated democracy. Viability and legitimacy of democracy in the Czech Republic and Europe in general depends on the fostering of ties between the political elite and the citizens.