The disintegration of KDU-ČSL in 2009: The network analysis of co-voting strategies of the KDU-ČSL deputies

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to capture and analyse the dynamics of co-voting ties among the members of the KDU-ČSL political party group in the 5th parliamentary term between 2006 and 2010 when some members of KDU-ČSL left this party and founded new political party TOP 09. For the analysis of the data, network approach and methods were used, with emphasis on the detection of possible rivalling communities in the constructed network of co-voting ties between deputies belonging-ČSL parliamentary party group in the analysed time period. The co-voting was treated as a proxy indicator of a possible relationship indicating co-operation or rivalry between the deputies. The main outcome of the study was the identification of the co-voting strategies and dynamics of the co-voting between deputies who left KDU-ČSL in 2009 and formed a new political party with their former party colleagues. The study is of a quantitative nature, but the main findings are connected to qualita-tive insights as well.

Keywords

• political parties
• unity
• party discipline
• party factionalism
• co-voting
• legislative networks to the kdu