Call for papers for the special issue of the Czech Journal of Political Science: Under Pressure: The 2025 General Election in the Czech Republic
Call for papers for the special issue of the Czech Journal of Political Science:
Under Pressure: The 2025 General Election in the Czech Republic
Editors: Vlastimil Havlík, Tomáš Cirhan (Masaryk University), Jakub Lysek (Palacký University)
After the 2021 election, several external crises and challenges have affected the Czech political scene. The new “anti-populist” government faced the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: the energy crisis, inflation, and influx of political asylum seekers. Moreover, unrest in the Middle East and the growth of uncertainty in international relations related to the election of Donald Trump as the President of the USA increased pressure in both international and domestic economic arenas. Meanwhile, the Czech party system has experienced a rising popularity for populist parties, scoring almost 60% in pre-election polls. In other words, Czech democracy has found itself under pressure stemming from both internal and external sources, and the results of the upcoming general election seem to be decisive for the direction and general political orientation in the following years.
The call for papers for the special issue is open until October 31.
Kindly send article abstracts (300–400 words) to one of the editors of the issue, Vlastimil Havlík (havlik@fss.muni.cz).
The topics covered by the special issue are as follows:
- implications of the election for the Czech party system and the Czech democracy;
- role of populism and anti-populism in the election;
- polarisation of the party system and the electorate;
- role of electoral coalitions in the election;
- media coverage of the election;
- voting patterns and behaviours, including the role of populism, economy or foreign policy;
- content of the electoral campaign;
- personalisation and candidate selection.
The special issue will include 5-8 papers, which will have to pass a regular double-blind peer review at the journal. Submissions should be empirical and address one or more aspects of the 2025 general election in the Czech Republic listed above. They may take a comparative perspective on Central Europe and beyond. All papers accepted for publication will employ rigorous research methods and test, challenge or propose adjustments to the theoretical frameworks in social sciences.
In case of inquiries, do not hesitate to contact Vlastimil Havlík, the editor.
Timeline
October 31: abstracts sent to Vlastimil Havlík (havlik@fss.muni.cz)
November 15: information on the decision about the abstracts
February 15: papers submitted to the journal
April 15: results of the external peer review
May 31: revised version of papers submitted
June 30: final decision on the papers
September 2026: publication in the 3/2026 issue of the journal