Not all migration is the same: Populist Radical Right Governance at the Local Level in Czechia

This paper examines the local-level governance of migration of the populist radical right in the Czech Republic, focusing on the Freedom and Direct Democracy party (SPD) and its participation in municipal executive bodies after the 2022 local elections. Although SPD is largely excluded from national coalitions, it has entered governing alliances at the local level, particularly in socially and economically depressed municipalities. The study investigates how SPD performs in executive roles at the municipal level. At national level, populist parties usually focus on rejection of immigration from foreign countries. However, local context is related to different aspects of migration which can be hardly addressed using national positions of the party. Therefore, there is open space to find new knowledge about operation of populist parties, as well as about managing migration. More particularly, the paper aims to answer following research questions: What are goals of radical right populist parties regarding migration in peripheral localities? What is argumentation related to these goals? What kind of position is formed and how is related to national position? Methodologically, the research is based on a comparative case study of several municipalities, where far right SPD gained seats in municipal councils and executive boards. It combines analysis of coalition agreements and council meeting records, with a qualitative assessment of the policy agenda promoted by populist far right representatives. The findings offer insight into the operational strategies of radical right parties in local governance and help nuance our understanding of their institutional behaviour beyond electoral rhetoric.