From Claiming to Evading Accountability: A Content Analysis of Czech Presidential Discourse

Drawing on Mark Bovens’ understanding of accountability as an obligation to explain and justify past conduct before a forum, this paper examines how Czech presidents have accounted for their actions in public communication since 1993. The analysis focuses on presidential speeches and media interviews between 1993 and 2025, addressing responses to questions concerning presidential decisions, policy positions, public statements, and the use of presidential powers. Using systematic content analysis, the paper develops and applies a typology of accountability responses that ranges from full engagement—where presidents provide explanations, justifications, or assume responsibility—to various forms of evasion, including deflection and delegitimisation of the accountability demand. The study captures variation in presidential accountability practices over time. The findings contribute to the literature on presidential accountability by showing how accountability is exercised and limited through public communication, particularly in contexts where formal accountability mechanisms are constrained.