On Monday, a conference organised by the National Institute for Research on the Socioeconomic Impact of Diseases and Systemic Risks (SYRI) was hosted at the Czech Senate of the Czech Republic, discussing populism and polarisation in Czech society.
The conference explored the mainstreaming of far-right parties in European politics, as well as the impact of polarisation on voter turnout. Speakers included Jan Charvát, a political scientist working at the Institute of Political Studies and Faculty of Social Studies at Charles University, and Petra Guasti, also of Charles University, and head of the SYRI research group. Various Czech senators also participated in the conference.
In his presentation to the conference, Charvát argued that the European far-right has grown over the last two decades, as formerly marginal groups have gained an increasing foothold in national legislatures and governments.
The conference came a day after German state elections saw the far-right Alternativ für Deutschland (AfD) make significant gains, coming first in Thuringia and second in Saxony, with about a third of the total vote in both states. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala responded to the results with concern, saying that the strengthening of radical and extreme political movements was not good for Germany or for the Czech Republic.
In June, former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš announced the founding of the new ‘Patriots for Europe’ grouping at the European level, along with far-right parties in Hungary, France, Austria and others. This group is now the third largest bloc in the European Parliament.
Charvát also suggested that the targets of far-right movements have changed over recent years: “The Islamist terrorist attack [of September 11, 2001] opened up space for the transformation of the extreme right. The desecrated and universally rejected anti-Semitism was gradually replaced by anti-Islamism, usually combined with opposition to migration.”
This tactical shift has allowed extremist parties to argue that they are engaged in a defence of European culture and civilisation, casting Islam as an anti-western and anti-democratic ideology that poses a threat to European values. The political scientist Sara R. Farris has similarly coined the term ‘femonationalism’ to describe how anti-Islam groups have appropriated the language of women’s rights and equality to justify racist and xenophobic policies.
In her presentation, Guasti argued that growing polarisation has had an impact on the level of voter turnout for both populist and anti-populist parties. Research conducted by SYRI has shown that increasing levels of polarisation in Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia has accompanied greater levels of voter participation, but also worked to undermine trust in democratic institutions, norms and principles. She also suggested that levels of polarisation in the Czech Republic have not yet reached the levels seen in other V4 countries.
“Between 2010 and 2023, social polarisation increased significantly in Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, while the increase was not as significant in the Czech Republic,” said Guasti. “Hungary consistently shows the highest level of polarisation, while Slovakia has experienced the most significant acceleration in recent years. Social polarisation positively affects mobilisation for both democracy and autocracy, with a stronger and statistically significant effect on mobilisation for democracy.”
Various members of the Senate also took part in the conference, with Senator Adéla Šípová (Pirati) addressing the role that technology has played in rising levels of polarisation, and the deputy chairman of the Senate, Jiří Drahoš (STAN), arguing that more attention should be paid in the education system to teaching young people tolerance and respect for others.
Speaking recently at the closing panel of the Globsec security conference in Prague, President Petr Pavel made a similar argument, suggesting that political leaders need to ensure that an open and respectful dialogue is permitted to allow for a range of perspectives, so as to mitigate growing polarisation. Pavel also called on governments to adopt measures to help combat the spread of disinformation, in addition to greater transparency about political decision-making.
SYRI brings together 150 experts and academics from Masaryk University, Charles University, and various institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences. It was established in 2022 as part of the government response to the COVID pandemic and one component of the National Recovery Plan, to ensure high standards in future research in various areas related to healthcare. It aims to formulate policy recommendations for various social problems related to health, education, and inequality.
