The Federal Assembly (, ) was the federal
parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
of
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
from January 1, 1969 to the
dissolution of Czechoslovakia on December 31, 1992. It was Czechoslovakia's highest legislative institution.
Chapter 3 of the
1960 Constitution of Czechoslovakia recognized it as "the supreme organ of state power and the sole statewide legislative body."
Constitution and practice
The Federal Assembly was divided into two equal chambers, the Chamber of People (''Sněmovna lidu''; other translation House of People) and the Chamber of Nations (''Sněmovna národů''; other translation House of Nations). The Chamber of the People reflected a system of proportional representation: in 1992 it included 99 deputies from the
Czech Socialist Republic
The Czech Socialist Republic ( cs, Česká socialistická republika, ČSR) was a republic within the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The name was used from 1 January 1969 to November 1989, when the previously unitary Czechoslovak state changed ...
and 51 deputies from the
Slovak Socialist Republic
The Slovak Socialist Republic ( sk, Slovenská socialistická republika, SSR) was from 1969 to 1990 a republic within the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, when previously unitary Czechoslovak state changed into a federation. The name was used fr ...
. The Chamber of Nations had 150 members, 75 from each republic. Deputies were selected through popular elections and served five year terms of office; all members of both houses served concurrently. However, before the
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...
— and thus, in all but the last two assemblies — there was only one party to vote for,
National Front, and it was impossible to give a preferential vote.
The Post-Velvet Revolution electoral law, used to elect the last two assemblies, provided that both houses of the Federal Assembly would be elected by
party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation (list-PR) is a subset of proportional representation electoral systems in which multiple candidates are elected (e.g., elections to parliament) through their position on an electoral list. They can also be us ...
in multi-member electoral districts which correspond to the regions of each Republic. Seats for each Republic were allocated among its electoral districts on the basis of the votes actually cast in each. Voters must choose only one political party to vote for, but they may use up to four preferential votes for particular candidates of that party, which affect the final order of the candidates on the party list. To obtain seats, a party was required to obtain at least 5% of the Republic-wide votes in either of the Republics. The allocation of seats was made
in two stages – first, seats were allocated within each electoral district using the
Hagenbach-Bischoff quota
The Hagenbach-Bischoff quota (also known as the Newland-Britton quota or the exact Droop quota, as opposed to the more common rounded Droop quota) is a formula used in some voting systems based on proportional representation (PR). It is used in ...
. The remainders were then used to allocate any seats left unfilled on a republic-wide basis, again using the
Hagenbach-Bischoff quota
The Hagenbach-Bischoff quota (also known as the Newland-Britton quota or the exact Droop quota, as opposed to the more common rounded Droop quota) is a formula used in some voting systems based on proportional representation (PR). It is used in ...
.
After an election each chamber met to select its own Praesidium consisting of three to six members. Together, the chambers elected the forty-member Presidium of the Federal Assembly, which served as the legislative authority when the assembly was not in session. A joint session of the Federal Assembly selected its chairman and vice chairman.
The Federal Assembly met in regular session at least twice a year, in the spring and fall. Legislation presented to the assembly at these sessions had to be approved by both chambers and in some cases required a majority vote by both the Czech and the Slovak deputies in the Chamber of Nations.
[Karel Hvížďala]
POLITIKA: Česko a volby prezidentů
Neviditelný pes, 19. 12. 2007
Constitutionally, the Federal Assembly was vested with great lawmaking powers, and had exclusive jurisdiction in all matters of foreign policy, fundamental matters of domestic policy, the economic plan, and supervision of the executive branch of government.
Before 1989, however, as in other Communist states, its function was largely confined to rubber-stamping measures placed before it by the
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia ( Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Comint ...
(KSČ). Czechoslovak Laws passed under Communism were drafted in advance by the Presidium of the KSČ and presented to the Federal Assembly, which almost always approved them unanimously. The
democratic centralist
Democratic centralism is a practice in which political decisions reached by voting processes are binding upon all members of the political party. It is mainly associated with Leninism, wherein the party's political vanguard of professional revol ...
principle extended to elections as well. Voters were presented with a single list from the
National Front (''Národní fronta''), an all-encompassing patriotic organization dominated by the Communists. Great pressure was brought to bear on citizens to turn out at the polls, and those who dared to cross out the name of the single Front-approved candidate on the ballot risked severe reprisals. Under these circumstances, elections were almost always a formality, with the Front list winning well over 99 percent of the vote. Only after the
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...
did the Assembly assume actual power.
Building
The Assembly building was originally a stock exchange, designed by Jaroslav Rössler and completed in 1938. The space proved insufficient, and after a design competition
Karel Prager
Karel Prager (August 24, 1923 in Kroměříž – May 31 2001 in Prague) was a Czech architect. He was one of the most prominent architects of modernist and brutalist architecture in the Czechoslovakia during the second half of 20th century. His ...
was appointed to add an extension. He added a modern glass, metal and stone structure around and over the top of the original building.
The project was both expensive and controversial.
Between 1995 and 2008, The Federal Assembly Building housed the headquarters of
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. As of 2015, it houses the Federal Assembly National Museum.
Prager's design has since been copied elsewhere, for example in what is now the
Bank of Georgia headquarters
The Bank of Georgia headquarters ( ka, საქართველოს ბანკის სათავო ოფისი) is a building in Tbilisi, Georgia. It was designed by architects George Chakhava and Zurab JalaghaniaUdo Kultermann: ' ...
in Tbilisi.
[ Includes gallery of images.]
Name changes
})
( sk, Federálne zhromaždenie Československej socialistickej republiky)
, 1969–1990
, -
, Federal Assembly of
the Czechoslovak Federative Republic
, ( cs, Federální shromáždění Československé federativní republiky)
( sk, Federálne zhromaždenie Česko-slovenskej federatívnej republiky)
, 1990
, -
, Federal Assembly of
the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic
, ( cs, Federální shromáždění České a Slovenské Federativní Republiky)
( sk, Federálne zhromaždenie Českej a Slovenskej Federatívnej Republiky)
, 1990–1992
, -
Presidents of the Federal Assembly
*
Peter Colotka
Peter Colotka (10 January 1925–20 April 2019) was a Slovak academic, lawyer and politician. He was the Prime Minister of the Slovak Socialist Republic from 1969 to 1988.
Early life and education
Colotka was born in Sedliacka Dubová, Dolný K ...
January 30, 1969 - April 28, 1969
*
Alexander Dubček
Alexander Dubček (; 27 November 1921 – 7 November 1992) was a Slovak politician who served as the First Secretary of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) (''de facto'' leader of Czechoslovak ...
April 28, 1969 - October 15, 1969
*
Dalibor Hanes Dalibor may refer to:
*Dalibor (name)
Dalibor (Cyrillic script: Далибор) is primarily a male given name of Slavic origin, mostly in Czech Republic. The name is popular in some West Slavic and South Slavic countries, such as the Czech Repu ...
October 15, 1969 - December 9, 1971
*
Alois Indra
Alois (Latinized ''Aloysius'') is an Old Occitan form of the name Louis. Modern variants include ''Aloïs'' (French), ''Aloys'' (German), ''Alois'' (Czech), '' Alojz'' ( Slovak, Slovenian), ''Alojzy'' ( Polish), ''Aloísio'' ( Portuguese, Spanis ...
December 9, 1971 - November 29, 1989
*
Stanislav Kukrál Stanislav and variants may refer to:
People
*Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.)
Places
* Stanislav, a coastal village in Kherson, Ukraine
* Stanislaus County, Cali ...
December 12, 1989 - December 28, 1989
*
Alexander Dubček
Alexander Dubček (; 27 November 1921 – 7 November 1992) was a Slovak politician who served as the First Secretary of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) (''de facto'' leader of Czechoslovak ...
December 28, 1989 - June 25, 1992
*
Michal Kováč
Michal Kováč (3 August 1930 – 5 October 2016) was the first president of Slovakia, having served from 1993 through 1998.
Early life
Kováč was born in the village of Ľubiša in then Czechoslovakia in 1930. He graduated from the present ...
June 25, 1992 - December 31, 1992
See also
*
List of chairmen of the Senate of Czechoslovakia
Chairmen of the Senate of Czechoslovakia.
Below is a list of office-holders:
Sources
Lists of legislative speakers in Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovakia, Senate
*Speakers
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, ...
*
*
List of chairmen of the Chamber of the Nations (Czechoslovakia)
*
*
List of chairmen of the National Assembly of Czechoslovakia
Chairmen of the National Assembly of Czechoslovakia
Chairman of the Provisional National Assembly
Chairman of the Constituent National Assembly
Chairmen of the National Assembly
Sources
Lists of legislative speakers in Czechoslovakia ...
References
External links
Joint Czech-Slovak Digital Parliamentary Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Federal Assembly Of Czechoslovakia
Karel Prager buildings
1969 establishments in Czechoslovakia
1992 disestablishments in Czechoslovakia
Defunct bicameral legislatures