The Czech Republic, population 10.32 million, is ruled by Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and the 200-member Czech Parliament. The parliament is currently a unicameral body dominated by a coalition of ODS, KDU-CSL, ODA, KDS. According to the Czech Constitution, the parliament should be bicameral body with a House of Representatives and a Senate, but as yet the legislators have not decided how to form the Senate. They are debating whether to hold early elections or wait until the next regular election in June 1996.
Former Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel is now President of the Czech Republic. While executive powers are largely divided between Klaus and Parliament, Havel does have the power to veto legislation. But his powers are limited. For example, Havel can only ratify, not negotiate, foreign treaties; he can not directly consult the ministries on domestic matters, but must work through the prime minister.
Slovakia, population 5.26 million, is ruled by Prime Minister Jozef Moravcik and the 150-member Slovak Parliament.====, has 27 members in Parliament - most political commentators predict that HZDS's popularity will decline. In March, former Slovak foreign minister and vice chairman of HZDS, Milan Knazko, broke ranks and formed an independent club with seven other deputies. In a February poll by the Bratislava Statistics Office, the party's popularity dropped to 18 percent, down from 37 percent in the June, 1992 elections.
Michal Kovac, former Federal Finance Minister and Federal
Parliament Chairman, Michal Kovac, is the current Slovak
president. He is empowered to ratify international agreements,
convene the Slovak National Council, appoint ministers and return
constitutional laws to the National Council.