Membership in Czech parliamentary parties has been decreasing, idnes
reports, with the highest number of departures proportionally coming in
the
splintered Public Affairs (until recently in government) and the Civic
Democrats. A spokeswoman for Public Affairs said the party currently had
an
official membership of 813 – 12.5 percent less than last year; the Civic
Democrats, meanwhile, had almost 28, 350 – dropping by 8.7 percent since
last March. The trend in the opposition Communist Party is similar, losing
around 5,000 members since last December, while the Social Democrats and
centre-right TOP 09 appear to have more stable memberships, political
pundits suggest. Membership in parties requires payment of an annual fee;
some members fail to renew. Membership in parties has been in general
decline for several years, the daily says.