POLITICAL SYSTEM

The Czech republic is a parlamentary democracy with a number of active political parties and movements. In this section you can find a short description of Czech political history, information about the most important constitutional institutions (e.g. President, Parlament, Chamber of Deputies, Senate, Government, the Supreme Audit Office, The Czech National Bank, The Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court), and an outline of the Czech political scene (political parties of coalition and opposition). Directory of the Government and Czech Government Contacts offer you adresses and basic information about government. You can also look at how the Czech Republic is presented in the 1995 U.S.State Departement's Annual Report on Human Rights.

History

After World War II, the political system in Czechoslovakia was greatly affected by the establishment of a Soviet-style Communist regime, which took place in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe as well. The system of power was distorted.

In effect this imbalance meant that the three branches of power necessary for democratic development - executive, legislative and judicial - were substituted by a unified Communist power. Its power was based on the constitution and for forty years it ruled all layers of social and political life throughout the country with the help of oppressive institutions.

From January 1948, when the Communist Party took over, it became the only autonomous political entity. It allowed a few other parties to exist within the so-called National Front; however, these parties held no real power and were created to provide the outward image of Czechoslovakia as a democratic state.

After the revolutionary events of November 1989 which brought about the fall of the Communist regime, the entire country faced an uneasy task - to resume its pre-Communist traditions and to build a democratic political system.

A wide diversity of political parties was established even before the breakup of Czechoslovakia on December 31, 1992. The constitution of the Czech Republic, which became valid on the day of the birth of the new state, explicitly defined: civil rights, the relationship between the executive and legislative branches of power, and the independence of the courts.

THE MOST IMPORTANT CONSTITUTIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND THEIR MUTUAL RELATIONSHIPS

The President

• Is elected for a term of five years by a session of both chambers of the Parliament.
• No one may be elected more than twice in succession.
• The president is the Supreme Commander of the military.
• Presidential powers are limited; the most important of them is the right to veto any bill which had already been passed by Parliament, except for constitutional bills. This power is void in times of constitutional or other important political crises.

Parliament

• Consists of two chambers - the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
• Passes all bills valid in the territory of the Czech Republic.
• Expresses approval of important international treaties; i.e. those concerning human rights and basic liberties, political treaties, and general economic treaties.
• Decides the most important acts of the state, such as a declaration of war or an approval of the residence of foreign armies on the territory of the Czech Republic.
• Legislative functions at this time are performed by the Chamber of Deputies - the Senate is not yet established. The first Senate elections are expected to take place in 1995.

Chamber of Deputies

• Is made up of 200 deputies who are elected for a term of four years (the last election took place in June 1992).
• The President can dissolve the Chamber of Deputies in cases outlined in the constitution.
• Political lobbies, ongoing parliamentary commissions and committees operate in the historical building which houses the chamber.

Senate

• Will be made up of 81 senators elected for six-year terms.
• Every two years one-third of the senate seats are up for re-election.
• Cannot be dissolved.
• For the time being, the legal authority of the Senate is exercised by the Chamber of Deputies, which cannot be dissolved, until the first Senate elections scheduled to be held in 1995.

The Activity of Parliament:

• A resolution of a parliamentary chamber can be passed by a clear majority of deputies or senators present.
• A constitutional bill or an international treaty must be passed by a 60% majority of the total number of deputies and by a 60% majority of senators present.

The Legislative Process:

• Bills are sent to the Chamber of Deputies.
• The right of legislative initiative is possessed by: a deputy, a group of deputies, the Senate, the Cabinet or local or regional cabinet representatives.
• A bill passed by the Chamber of Deputies is sent to the Senate which has the power to veto it, send it back to the Chamber of Deputies with amendments, or table the bill.

Elections of the Legislative Bodies:

• Elections of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate take place by secret ballot on the basis of general, equal and direct voting.
• The Chamber of Deputies is elected on the basis of proportional representation. Political parties must obtain five percent of the popular vote in order to gain seats in the chamber.
• The Senate is elected on the basis of a majority vote.
• All citizens of the Czech Republic over 18 years of age have the right to vote for representatives in both chambers of Parliament.
• All citizens over 21 years of age are eligible to be elected to the Chamber of Deputies.
• Citizens over 40 years of age are eligible to be elected to the Senate.

The Government

• Is the supreme body of executive power.
• Consists of the Prime Minister, deputy prime ministers and ministers.
• Coordinates activities of the ministries and the central bodies of state administration and manages state administration over the territory of the state.
• Has exclusive legislative initiative in terms of the state budget.

The list of the ministries and contacts for them can be found in RESORCES.

The Supreme Audit Office

• Is an independent controlling agency.
• Audits the management of state property and the implementation of the state budget.
• Audits the ways in which the resources of the state budget of the Czech Republic are created and used.

The Czech National Bank

• Is the central state bank.
• Based on law, the main goal of the bank is to preserve the stability and purchasing power of the currency, and while pursuing this goal, the bank is not dependent on the cabinet of the Czech Republic.
• The president and executives of the bank are appointed by the head of state.

The Constitutional Court

• Is a court set up to protect constitutional rights.
• Consists of 15 judges who are appointed by the president - with consent of the Senate - for a term of ten years.
• In their decisions judges are bound only by constitutional laws, international treaties, and by a law designating the proceedings of the constitutional court.

The Supreme Court

• Is the supreme judicial body in all matters within the jurisdiction of the courts, except those within the jurisdiction of the constitutional court or the supreme administrative court.
• The judges are bound only by law and they are in a position to decide whether other legal regulations are in accordance with the law.

THE POLITICAL SCENE

In 1989, after overthrowing the "one party" government, Czechoslovak citizens found new freedom - the right to freely form political parties and movements according to one's political convictions. Very soon after the fall of the totalitarian regime a colorful variety of political parties was established and provided the foundations for a more stable political climate.

• Forty-two political parties and movements participated in the 1992 elections, the second free vote since the fall of the regime; eight of them obtained 5% or more of the popular vote in the Czech Republic. During the two years which followed no further party divisions occurred except within the opposition parties.

Coalition

• The two strongest government coalition parties (ODS, ODA), which did well in the 1992 elections, arose out of the former Civic Forum which played an important role in overthrowing the Communist power.

COALITION PARTIES:

Obcanska demokraticka strana (ODS)

(The Civic Democratic Party):

• The conservative party won the elections of 1992 and became the strongest party in the Czech Republic.
• Its chairman is Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus.
• It holds 65 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, nine ministers in the cabinet and remains the most popular party in the country more than two years after the elections, according to recent opinion polls.

Obcanska demokraticka aliance (ODA)

(The Civic Democratic Alliance):

• Is the primary non-denominational political party of the democratic right advocating economic liberalization with 14 seats in parliament and three ministers in the cabinet.

Krestansko-demokraticka unie - Ceskoslovenska strana lidova (KDU-CSL)

(The Christian Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party):

• Is the successor to the Catholic-oriented People's Party which was active between the wars. In the Communist era it existed as a powerless decoration of the totalitarian regime.
• After 1989 the party underwent a complicated internal transformation, and at the present time it declares itself to be a conservative party with a Christian social orientation.
• It holds 15 seats in parliament and four ministers in the cabinet.

Krestanskodemokraticka strana (KDS)

(The Christian Democratic Party):

• Was established in the mid-eighties as an unofficial ecumenically-oriented Christian group.
• Entered the parliamentary elections of 1992 in a coalition with The Civic Democratic Party.
• It holds 10 seats in parliament and two ministers in the cabinet.

Opposition

MAIN OPPOSITION PARTIES:

Ceska strana socialne demokraticka (CSSD)

(The Czech Social Democratic Party):

• Is the successor to a party established in 1878 and disbanded by the Communists in 1948.
• ln its policy it accents social policies and critiques of the concept and process of economic reform. It holds 14 seats in parliament and its standing in opinion polls has doubled since the last elections.

The Communist Party and Post-Communist Parties

• The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia did not succeed in transforming itself into a "modern left-wing party" of the kind which exists in neighbouring countries. It is the last of the former totalitarian parties in Central Europe to retain the name "Communist."
• Splinter groups have broken off from the party because of internal divisions, leading to the establishment of several new parties.
• All together, these parties hold 35 seats which are divided between two factions: the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) and the Left Block (LB).

Ceskomoravska strana stredu (CMSS)

(The Czech Moravian Party of the Centre):

• Founded April 4, 1990, as The Movement for Self-Governing Democracy - Self-Governing Moravia and Silesia.
• It focuses on the struggle for an autonomous regional government for Moravia and Silesia within the state framework.
• The party holds nine seats in parliament.

Sdruzeni pro republiku - Republikanska strana Ceskoslovenska (SPR-RSC)

(The Assembly for the Republic - The Republican Party of Czechoslovakia):

• Founded December 26, 1989.
• An extremely nationalistic right-wing party similar to German Republicans and the French Republican Party.
• The party now holds nine seats in parliament. Five deputies have already left the party since the 1992 elections.