Political mediation and participation in Czech rural areas.

摘要

This paper shows the mediation between citizens and political power by political parties in Czech rural areas. The position of political parties in rural municipalities is demonstrated in two perspectives. The top-down perspective is based on the distribution of mandates in local municipal councils between political parties. The opposite perspective provides the bottom-up point of view - from the level of the individual municipalities, their party systems and party organizational structures. The analysis of the 2006 municipal election results reveals clearly that the role of political parties in local politics depends on the size of the given municipality. In this sense, the Czech Republic represents a very interesting example as it is characterized by a dense and heavily fragmented population settlement with a large number of small rural municipalities. We encounter incomplete party spectra in rural municipalities and the absence of political parties in the smallest municipalities. Besides, thelists of candidates in rural municipalities reveal the weakness of the local party organizations, which cannot avoid cooperating with the independent candidates. The small distance between the citizen and the elected body in a rural community significantly determines the forms of the local politics. Ideological and party mediation is superfluous. In fact, it is often seen as something harmful that divides the rural community.