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Towards Cyberparties or Back to the Dirt? The Czech Parties Campaigning in 2017

Publication at Faculty of Social Sciences |
2018

Abstract

It seems to be an obvious trend: political parties are led to include more and more elements of modern life such as to be active in the frame of the social media, online video and so on, to change their membership and ways of communication. They have to include a more and more larger part of modern techniques and to enhance virtual life not only within the party (modern intra-party democracy) but also towards their sympathizers and eventual electorate.

The Czech elections in October 2017 (in continuity with the precedent national elections in 201 and 2013) nevertheless seemed to indicate a more blurred and less evident trend. First the traditional media (TV, newspapers) are still very influent, not only before the elections, but also after (giving the pulse of the dramatic changes).

Second even the campaign showed that the traditional old-fashioned way to to electoral campaign (face to face) is not only important but it may be crucial. We will propose an analysis of the electoral campaign of some selected Czech parliamentary political parties.

We will focus on their use of modern techniques of campaigning (political marketing, modern communication) in the context of the Czech elections and their historical specificities (since the last 25 years, the professionalization of the campaigns), systemic constraints (especially the legal limits of financing), taking into account the fact that we are witnessing a sort of come back of a classical "physical" campaigning, and we will propose a qualitative analysis of their campaigning in a dynamic perspective.