ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to contribute to an assessment of the role regulation which has played on the development of party politics in the Czech Republic, a country notable for its remarkable stability until 2010 but more recently for the emergence of several electorally successful new parties. It seeks to contribute to the debates about what explains the relative stability/instability of party politics across Central and Eastern Europe, by examining the impact of party laws and regulations in the Czech case. The chapter outlines the laws affecting the organization and operation of political parties and those which determine the allocation of funds to parties. It argues that the framework for party regulation is broadly permissive but that permissiveness has actually constrained the development of the party system. The chapter suggests that the laws related to finance have helped cement the position of several parties, especially those with alternative sources of income.
