Paper title:
  The Election Attitudes Among the Polish Minority Inhabiting the Region of Zaolzie in the Czech Republic (1990-2018)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4316/CC.2020.01.001
Published in:
Issue 1 (Vol. 26) / 2020
Publishing date:
2020-07-31
Pages:
 113-142
Author(s):
 Radosław Zenderowski
Abstract:
 The paper analyses the election activity of the Polish inhabitants of the Zaolzie region (the Czech Republic) in the 1990-2018 period referring to national elections (Lower Chamber of Parliament, Senate, President of the Czech Republic) as well as local and regional elections. The theoretical section offers analyses of national and ethnic minorities as (collective) political actors. The empirical part provides an in-depth analysis of the votes in particular elections, taking into consideration the communes with a significant rate of Polish inhabitants as well as those communes there the Polish ethnos was rather scarce. The eth-nic affiliation has been considered as a vital independent variable of the choices made; however, other variables explaining election behaviour have also been indicated.
Keywords:
 Zaolzie, Czech Republic, Polish national minority, elections, politics




References:
 1. Borák Mečislav, Gawrecki Dan (Eds.), Nástin dějin Těšínska [Outline of the history of the Teschen Silesia], Ostrava-Praha, 1992.
2. Český statistický úřad, Sčítání lidu, domů a bytu 2011, Obyvatelstvo podle náboženské víry a podle velikostních skupin obcí, okresů a správních obvodů ORP - Moravskoslezský kraj [Population by religious beliefs and by size groups of municipalities, districts and administrative districts of the ORP - Moravian-Silesian Region], https://www.czso.cz (17.02.2020).
3. Český statistický úřad, Sčítání lidu, domů a bytu [Census of population, houses and flats], https://www.czso.cz/csu/czso/scitani-lidu-domu-a-bytu.
4. Český statistický úřad, Volby.cz, https://volby.cz.
5. Chałupczak Henryk, Zenderowski Radosław, Baluk Walenty (Eds.), Ethnic Policy in Contemporary East Central Countries, Lublin, 2015
6. Chandra Kanchan, Metz David, A new cross-national database on ethnic parties. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Political Science Association, Chicago. http://www.yale.edu/macmillan/ocvprogram/licep/5/chandra-metz/chandra-metz.pdf (16.02.2018).
7. De Winter Lieven, Türsan Huri, Regionalist parties in Western Europe, New York, 2003.
8. Hannan Kevin, Borders of language and identity in Teschen Silesia, New York, 1996.
9. Hannan Kevin, Identity and assimilation among the Poles of Zaolzie, Houston, 1996.
10. Hannan Kevin, Language and ethnicity among students in Teschen Silesia, New York, 1999.
11. Hannan Kevin, Polishness in the borderlands, Poznań, 2005.
12. Herbut Ryszard, Teoria i praktyka funkcjonowania partii politycznych [Theory and practice of political parties functioning], Wrocław, 2002.
13. Horowitz Donald L., Ethnic groups in conflict, Berkeley, 1985.
14. Ishiyama John, Breuning Marijka, What is in a name?: Ethnic party identity and democratic development in post-communist politics, "Party Politics", 2011, No 17(2), p. 223-241.
15. Ishiyama John, Ethnopolitical parties and democratic consolidation in post-communist Eastern Europe, "Nationalism & Ethnic Politics", 2001, No 7(3), p. 25-45.
16. Kopeček Lubomír, Coexistentia-Soužití a politická reprezentace polské menšiny na Těšínsku [Coexistence-Coexistence and political representation of the Polish minority in the Teschen Silesia region], “Středoevropské politické studie – Central European Political Studies Review” 2003 No 5, https://journals.muni.cz/cepsr/article/view/3941/5312 (23.10.2019).
17. Kopeček Lubomír, Study of interest representation development of Polish minority in the Czech Republic, “Středoevropské politické studie – Central European Political Studies Review”, 2002, No 4, https://journals.muni.cz/cepsr/article/view/3918/5357 (23.10.2019).
18. Lipset Seymour M., Rokkan Stein, Party systems and voters; cross-national perspectives, New York, 1967.
19. Mareš Miroslav (red.), Etnické a regionální strany v ČR po roce 1989 [Ethnic and regional parties in the Czech Republic after 1989], Brno, 2003.
20. Mareš Miroslav, Etnické a regionální subjekty ve stranickém systému České republiky [Ethnic and regional entities in the party system of the Czech Republic], Brno, 2003.
21. Mareš Miroslav, Kopeček Lubomír, Pečínka Pavel, Stýskalíková Věra, Etnické menšiny a česká politika. Analýza stranických přístupů k etnické a imigrační politice po roce 1989 [Ethnic minorities and Czech politics. Analysis of political parties’ approaches to ethnic and immigration policy after 1989], Brno, 2004.
22. Mareš Miroslav, Strmiska Martin, Political Participation by Ethnic Minorities in the Czech Republic, in: Tomáš Sirovátka, The Challenge of Social Inclusion: Minorities and Marginalised Groups in Czech Society, Brno, 2006, p. 267-289.
23. Polacy w radach miast i gmin (2018 – 2022 r.) / Poláci v zastupitelstvech měst a obcí (2018-2022) [The Poles in city and commune’s councils (2018-2022), http://www.coexistentia.cz/2018wybor/polacy2018.htm (30.01.2020).
24. Szelong Krzysztof, Zaolzie. Pojęcie, obszar i historia [Zaolzie. Concept, area and history], https://openairmuseum.info/pl/dzialy/Zaolzie/Pojecie-obszar-i-historia (22.10.2019).
25. Touquet Heleen, Multi-ethnic parties in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Naša Stranka and the paradoxes of postethnic politics, "Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism", 2011, No 11(3), p. 451-467.
26. Van Cott Donna L., From movements to parties in Latin America: The evolution of ethnic politics, New York, 2005.
27. Wasiuta Martyna, Partie etniczne w Republice Czeskiej [Ethnic parties in the Czech Republic], „Sprawy Narodowościowe. Seria nowa / Nationalities Affairs. New series”, 2017, No 49, p. 1-19.
28. Witt Kurt, Die Teschener Frage [The Cieszyn Question], Berlin, 1935.
29. Wójcicki Michał, Pojęcie, istota i formy partycypacji społecznej w procesie planowania przestrzennego [The concept, essence and forms of social participation in the process of spatial planning], „Rozwój Regionalny i Polityka Regionalna”, 2014, volume 24, p. 169-183.
30. Woźnica Rafał, Partie polityczne i udział mniejszości w życiu politycznym Macedonii i Bułgarii [Political parties and the participation of minorities in the political life of Macedonia and Bulgaria], „Studia Środkowoeuropejskie i Bałkanistyczne”, 2016, volume XXIV, p. 187-198.