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The Czech parliamentary elections
Democracy at a crossroads? The Czech parliamentary elections and their implications
A roundtable discussion organised by the SSEESing NOW seminar series, co-sponsored by the British Czech and Slovak Association (BCSA)
The Czech Republic will hold parliamentary elections on 3–4 October 2025, which are widely expected to return Andrej Babiš’s ANO movement to power. In this roundtable event, organised by the SSEES-ing NOW seminar series and co-sponsored by the BCSA, specialists on Czech politics, society, and public opinion will assess the election results and consider their implications for the Czech Republic’s democracy, society, and position in Europe.
The event will be moderated by Dr Jakub Benes, UCL SSEES. It will take place in person (Masaryk Room) and will also be livestreamed online.
Jessie Barton Hronešová is Lecturer in Political Sociology at UCL SSEES with a focus on Central and Southeast Europe. Her research explores the role of narratives in shaping politics, memory, and identity, and she has published widely on these topics. She has also advised international organisations and governments on policy issues relating to transitional justice, democracy, and post-war reconstruction in Central and Southeast Europe.
Dr Sean Hanley, Associate Professor in Comparative Central and East European Politics at UCL SSEES. Sean’s research interests include party politics, democratic backsliding and resilience, and the decline of the left in Central and Eastern Europe. He has a longstanding special interest in Czech politics and regularly contributes comment and analysis on Czech and wider Central and Eastern European politics for outlets such as France 24, Sky News, Euronews, Policy Network, EUROPP, and iHned.cz.
Dr Michael Škvrňák Researcher, Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. He is also an analyst for PAQ Research. He specialises in the study of political elites, political careers, and the quality of democracy, and also works on data analysis and social policy research at PAQ Research. He has authored or co-authored publications on topics including the impact of election pledges, coalition formation, incumbency effects in Czech regional elections, and the relationship between participation and satisfaction with democracy in Central and Eastern Europe.
Dr Zora Hesová is assistant professor at the Department of Political Science at Charles University in Prague, where she focuses on the intersection of culture wars, religious movements, and secularism in Central and South Eastern Europe. She co-edited the book Central European Culture Wars: Beyond Post-Communism and Populism and has also published extensively on Islam, secularism, feminism, and morality politics in Central/Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Pre-booking is essential via link below. Free admission.
Image credit: Canva, edited