“Recall” as an Empty Signifier – The Problem of SPD Party Populism
“Recall” as an Empty Signifier – The Problem of SPD Party Populism

Summary/Abstract: The article seeks to provide a critical reflection of the recall (“reverse personalized plebiscite”) policy pronounced by the SPD political party, rooted in debate in the Czech Republic about the quality of the democratic system and the quantity of democratic mechanisms. Based on Laclau’s theory of populism, this article analyzes the speeches given by representatives of the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party which call for an implementation of the recall. The assumption is that SPD is not entirely clear on the purpose and method of instating recall, which is therefore not intended to serve the purpose of extending democracy (in any definition) but is merely an instrument of populism used with no intended effects on political system.

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