Politics of the Czech Republic
Government
The Czech political scene supports a broad spectrum of parties ranging from the semi-reformed Communist Party on the far left to various nationalistic parties on the extreme right. Czech voters returned a split verdict in the June 2002 parliamentary elections, giving the left-of-center Social Democrats (ČSSD) and Communists majority, without any posibility to form functional government together due to Mr. Spidla's strong anticommunism. The results produced a ČSSD coalition government with Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) and Liberals (US-DEU), while Civic Democrats (ODS) and Communists (KSČM) took place in opposition. Prime Minister Vladimír Špidla is the head of government and wields considerable powers, including the right to set the agenda for most foreign and domestic policy, mobilize the parliamentary majority, and choose governmental ministers.
Václav Klaus, now President of the Czech Republic, former chairman of Civic Democrats (ODS) remains one of the country's most popular politicians. As formal head of state, he is granted specific powers such as the right to nominate Constitutional Court judges, dissolve parliament under certain conditions, and enact a veto on legislation.
The legislature is bicameral, with a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. With the split of the former Czechoslovakia, the powers and responsibilities of the now defunct federal parliament were transferred to the Czech National Council, which renamed itself the Chamber of Deputies. Chamber delegates are elected from seven districts and the capital, Prague, for 4-year terms, on the basis of proportional representation. The Czech Senate is patterned after the U.S. Senate and was first elected in 1996; its members serve for 6-year terms with one-third being elected every 2 years.
The country's highest court of appeals is the Supreme Court. The Constitutional Court, which rules on constitutional issues, is appointed by the president, and its members serve 10-year terms.
Country name:
conventional long form:
Czech Republic
conventional short form:
Czechia (rarely used)
local long form:
Česká republika
local short form:
Česko
Data code: CZ
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Prague
Administrative divisions: 73 districts (okresy, singular - okres) and 4 municipalities* (města, singular - město); Benešov, Beroun, Blansko, Břeclav, Brno-město*, Brno-venkov, Bruntál, České Budějovice, Česká Lípa, Český Krumlov, Cheb, Chomutov, Chrudim, Děčín, Domažlice, Frýdek-Místek, Havlíčkův Brod, Hodonín, Hradec Králové, Jablonec nad Nisou, Jeseník, Jičín, Jihlava, Jindřichův Hradec, Karlovy Vary, Karviná, Kladno, Klatovy, Kolín, Kroměříž, Kutná Hora, Liberec, Litoměřice, Louny, Mělník, Mladá Boleslav, Most, Náchod, Nový Jičín, Nymburk, Olomouc, Opava, Ostrava*, Pardubice, Pelhřimov, Písek, Plzeň*, Plzeň-jih, Plzeň-sever, Prachatice, Praha*, Praha-Východ, Praha-Západ, Přerov, Příbram, Prostějov, Rakovník, Rokycany, Rychnov nad Kněžnou, Semily, Sokolov, Strakonice, Šumperk, Svitavy, Tábor, Tachov, Teplice, Třebíč, Trutnov, Uherské Hradiště, Ustí nad Labem, Ustí nad Orlicí, Vsetín, Vyškov, Ždár nad Sázavou, Zlín, Znojmo
Independence: 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech and Slovak Republics)
National holiday: National Liberation Day, 8 May; Founding of the Republic, 28 October
Constitution: ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993
Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal, to be abandoned soon
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Václav Klaus (since 7 March 2003)
head of government:
Prime Minister Vladimír Špidla (since 12 July 2002); Deputy Prime Ministers Stanislav Gross (since 12 July 2002), Pavel Rychetský (since 12 July 2002), Cyril Svoboda (since 12 July 2002), Petr Mareš (since 12 July 2002)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections:
president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 28 February 2003 (next to be held NA January 2008); prime minister appointed by the president
election results:
Václav Klaus elected president; Václav Klaus received 142 votes in the 281-member Parliament.
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senát (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecká sněmovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections:
Senate - last held 25-26 October 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004 - to replace/reelect 27 senators serving two-year terms); Chamber of Deputies - last held 14-15 June 2002 (next to be held by NA June 2006)
election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODS 26, "Open Democracy" Caucus 16, KDU-CSL 15, CSSD 11, Caucus "Independents" 5, independent 8; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CSSD 70, ODS 58, KSCM 41, KDU-CSL 21, US-DEU 10
Juridicial branch: Supreme Court, chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for life; Constitutional Court, chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for life
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-ČSL [Miroslav Kalousek, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jiřina Nováková, chairman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek Topolánek, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSČM [Miroslav Grebeníček, chairman]; Czech Social Democrats or ČSSD [Vladimír Špidla, chairman]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Petr Mareš, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions
International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant, to enter May 2004), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, Visegrád group, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, Zangger Committee
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia - colours are derived from the Czech coat of arms - red and white from the silver lion on the red plane and blue from the Moravian eagle or from Slovak (and generally Slavic) tricolour)