Civic Democratic Party

The Civic Democratic Party (Czech: Občanská demokratická strana, ODS) is a conservative political party in the Czech Republic. The party sits on the centre-right of the political spectrum. It holds 26 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and is the second strongest party by number of seats following the 2025 election. ODS is the only political party in the Czech Republic that has maintained an uninterrupted representation in the Chamber of Deputies since the country's independence. The party is currently led by MP Martin Kupka, who has been leader since 2026.

Founded in 1991 by Václav Klaus as the pro–free market wing of the Civic Forum, and modeled on the British Conservative Party, ODS won the 1992 parliamentary election, and has remained in government for most of the Czech Republic's independence. In every parliamentary election excluding the 2013 election, ODS emerged as one of the two strongest parties. Klaus served as the first prime minister of the Czech Republic after the partition of Czechoslovakia, from 1993 to 1997. Mirek Topolánek, who succeeded him as leader in December 2002, served as prime minister from 2006 to 2009. In the 2010 election, the party lost 28 seats, finishing second, but was able to form a centre-right government with Petr Nečas as prime minister. In the 2013 parliamentary election, the party suffered a heavy defeat after a corruption scandal, and was reduced to 16 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. ODS then remained in opposition until 2021. The party's seat share recovered in the 2017 election, in which they secured 25 seats and became the second largest party. After the 2021 election ODS returned to government as part of the Spolu alliance with TOP 09 and KDU-ČSL.

ODS is a member of the International Democracy Union, and co-founded the soft Eurosceptic European Conservatives and Reformists Party and the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, along with the UK Conservative Party.