(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Most people in the Czech Republic say times are better now than during the communist regime that fell in 1989, according to a poll by CVVM. 57 per cent of respondents prefer the current situation in the European country, up 13 points since 1999.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Most people in the Czech Republic say times are better now than during the communist regime that fell in 1989, according to a poll by CVVM. 57 per cent of respondents prefer the current situation in the European country, up 13 points since 1999.
Czechoslovakia was separated into two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, in the "velvet divorce" of 1993—a reference to the "velvet revolution" in 1989 when mass peaceful demonstrations led to the end of communist rule in the country.
The democratic political reform began in Czechoslovakia under Vaclav Havel, who became president in 1989 and joined a growing anti-communist movement.
Havel, who is also a playwright, continues to be an outspoken political activist against communist regimes. Last month, Havel praised a document written by 5,000 Chinese nationals calling for individual rights and freedoms—known as the Charter 08—describing it as "impressive" as it calls "for human rights, good governance and respect for the responsibility of citizens to keep watch over their government; to ensure that their state plays by the rules of a modern open society."
Polling Data
Do you prefer the current situation in the Czech Republic, or do you prefer the past regime that fell in 1989?
|
|
2008 |
1999 |
|
Current situation is better |
57% |
44% |
|
Prefer the past regime |
24% |
35% |
|
Not sure |
19% |
21% |
Source: CVVM
Methodology: Interviews with 1,282 Czech voters, conducted from Dec. 1 to Dec. 8, 2008. No margin of error was provided.
