The

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

is a unitary

parliamentary republic A parliamentary republic is a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the executive branch (the government) derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature (the parliament). There are a number ...

, in which the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

is the

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state (polity), state#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international p ...

and the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

is the

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...

.
Executive power is exercised by the Government of the Czech Republic which reports to the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon ...

. The Legislature is exercised by the

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. ...

. Czech Parliament is

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single gro ...

, the upper house of the Parliament is the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

, the lower house of the Parliament is the

. The Senate consists of 81 members who are elected for six years. The Chamber of Deputies consists of 200 members who are elected for four years. The Judiciary system is topped by the trio of

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

and Supreme Administrative Court.
The highest legal document is the Constitution of the Czech Republic, complemented by constitutional laws and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. The current constitution went in effect on 1 January 1993, after the

Dissolution of Czechoslovakia The dissolution of Czechoslovakia ( cs, Rozdělení Československa, sk, Rozdelenie Česko-Slovenska) took effect on December 31, 1992, and was the self-determined split of the federal republic of Czechoslovakia into the independent countries ...

. The Czech Republic has a

multi-party system In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in co ...

. Between 1993 and 2013, the two largest political parties were the left-wing

Czech Social Democratic Party The Czech Social Democratic Party ( cs, Česká strana sociálně demokratická, ČSSD, ) is a social-democratic political party in the Czech Republic. Sitting on the centre-left of the political spectrum and holding pro-European views, it is a ...

(ČSSD) and right-wing Civic Democratic Party (ODS). This changed in early 2014, with the rise of a new major political party ANO 2011, which has since led two cabinets.

Executive branch

The President is the head of state, the Prime Minister is the head of government. The majority of executive power is given to the Cabinet, which consists of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers (usually heads of the Ministries). ,

Miloš Zeman Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician serving as the third and current President of the Czech Republic since 2013. He previously served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Czec ...

, Party of Civic Rights , 8 March 2013 , - ,

, Petr Fiala , Civic Democratic Party , 28 November 2021

President

The

President of the Czech Republic The president of the Czech Republic is the head of state of the Czech Republic and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. The president mostly has ceremonial powers as the day-to-day business of the executive gover ...

is elected by a direct vote for five years. They can only serve for two terms. The president is a formal

with limited executive powers specified in the articles 54 to 66 of the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princip ...

: * to appoint or dismiss the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet * to appoint or dismiss the entire Cabinet * to confirm or decline a resignation of the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet * to summon a session of the Chamber of Deputies * to dissolve the Chamber of Deputies when specific conditions described in the Constitution are met * to pardon and mitigate penalties imposed by the court, order not to initiate criminal proceedings, suspend them if they are already initiated and to wipe previous criminal records * to declare the date of elections to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate * to bestow state honors * to appoint and promote generals * to appoint judges * to appoint the president and vice-president of the Supreme Audit Office * to appoint members of the

Board of the Czech National Bank Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ty ...

* to appoint or dismiss heads of diplomatic missions He is also the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and ratifies all domestic laws and international agreements.

Cabinet

Garden of Straka Academy, Prague Malá Strana

The

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

is the supreme executive body in the Czech Republic. It makes its decisions as a body. It is held responsible by the Chamber of Deputies. The president appoints every new Prime Minister, who then chooses the Ministers. All Ministers of the Cabinet need to be approved by the President and within thirty days after the presidential approval they must ask the Chamber of Deputies for a vote of confidence.

Prime Minister

The Prime Minister is the head of government. They organize the work of the Cabinet, preside over it and act in its name. They set the agenda for most foreign and domestic policies. They have to obtain the President's approval to hire or dissmis any other member of the Cabinet.

Ministers

A minister is any member of the Cabinet that is not the Prime Minister. They are usually the head of a Ministry, but it is not required. Ministry – sometimes called Government Department – is a governmental organisation that manages a specific sector of public administration. The number of Ministries varies depending on the particular Cabinet and is managed by the

Competence Law Competence may refer to: * Competence (geology), the resistance of a rock against deformation or plastic flow. *Competence (human resources), a standardized requirement for an individual to properly perform a specific job * Competence (law), the ...

. As of 2021, the Czech Republic had 13 Ministers and 14 Ministries.

Legislative branch

The

(''Parlament'' in Czech) consists of two Houses. The Lower House is the Chamber of Deputies and the Upper House is the Senate. , President of the Chamber of Deputies , Markéta Pekarová Adamová ,

TOP 09 TOP 09 (name derived from cs, Tradice Odpovědnost Prosperita, lit=Tradition Responsibility Prosperity) is a liberal-conservative political party in the Czech Republic, led by Markéta Pekarová Adamová. TOP 09 holds 14 seats in the Chamber of ...

, 10 November 2021 , - , President of the Senate , Miloš Vystrčil , Civic Democratic Party , 19 February 2020

Chamber of Deputies

(''Poslanecká sněmovna'' in Czech) has 200 members, elected for four-year terms by

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

with a 5%

election threshold The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of the primary vote that a candidate or political party requires to achieve before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature. This limit can ...

. The Chamber of Deputies elections happen every four years, unless the reigning Cabinet prematurely loses the Chamber of Deputies' support. Candidates for every political party participating in the elections are split among 14 electoral districts, which are identical to the country's administrative

Regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

. A citizen must be at least 21 years old to be eligible for candidacy.
The Chamber of Deputies was formerly known as the

Czech National Council The Czech National Council ( cs, Česká národní rada, ČNR) was the legislative body of the Czech Republic since 1968 when the Czech Republic was created as a member state of Czech-Slovak federation. It was legally transformed into the Chamb ...

. It has the same powers and responsibilities as the now-defunct Federal Assembly of the Czechoslovakia.

Senate

The

(''Senát'' in Czech) has 81 members, each elected for a six-year term. Senate elections happen every two years and only a third of the seats is contested each time. All of the 81 Senate electoral districts are designed to contain roughly the same number of voters. The Senate elections use a

two-round system The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian res ...

, when the two most successful candidates from the first round face each other again in the second round usually a week later. Only citizens who have reached the age of 40 are eligible for candidacy. The senate's function is to be a stabilizing force and its influence is significantly lower than that of the Chamber of Deputies.

Judicial branch

The Czech court system recognizes four categories of courts and the Constitutional Court, which stands outside of the court system.

Constitutional Court

The

's main purpose is to protect people's constitutional rights and freedoms. The decisions of the Court are final, cannot be overturned and are considered a source of law. The Court is composed of 15 justices who are named for a renewable period of 10 years by the President and approved by the Senate. All justices of the Constitutional Court have a mandatory retirement age of 70. Its functionality is similar to that of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...

Supreme Courts

There are two Supreme Courts in the court system of the Czech Republic – the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court. Both reside in Brno.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the Czech Republic is the court of highest appeal for almost all legal cases heard in the Czech Republic. The justices of the Supreme Court analyze and evaluate legally effective decisions of lower courts. They unify the Czech judicature.

Supreme Administrative Court

The Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic protects people from unlawful decisions and procedures of the state authorities. It examines objections to elections and has the authority to ban or suspend the activity of political parties. It resolves competence disputes between governmental organizations and also serves as disciplinary court for other members of the judiciary.

High Courts

There are two

High Courts High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift to ...

in the Czech Republic – one in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

and one in

Olomouc Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019). Located on th ...

. They serve as courts of appeal to Regional Courts in cases, where the Regional Court acted as a court of first instance. Presidents of the High Courts are appointed by the President for seven years. The vice-presidents are appointed by the

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a Ministry (government department), ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of ju ...

and also serve a seven-year term. A justice is required by the law to have at least 8 years of experience before becoming a member of a High Court.

Regional Courts

Regional Courts serve mainly as the courts of appeal to District Courts. But they can also act as courts of first instance in cases of more severe criminal charges, disputes between corporations or disputes over intellectual property. There are eight Regional Courts in the Czech Republic: in Brno,

Ostrava Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four ri ...

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected by law as a ...

Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (, , ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of its eponymous region and district. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway ju ...

, Plzeň,

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is ...

and two in

District Courts

District Courts serve as the courts of first instance in almost all civil or criminal proceedings. There is a total of 86 District Courts in the Czech Republic. Notaries and executors are appointed by the

to their jurisdictions.

Regional government

The Czech Republic is divided in 14 administrative

including one for the capital of Prague. The older system of 73 administrative

Districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

(''okresy'' in Czech) and 4 municipalities was abandoned in 1999 in an administrative reform. Each of the Regions has a Regional Council with a varied number of Regional Councilors and a President of the Regional Cabinet (''hejtman'' in Czech) as its formal head. The capital of Prague is the only exception to this, as the City Council acts both as regional and municipal governing body and is led by a mayor. Regional Councilors are elected for four-year terms similarly to Deputies in the Chamber of Deputies. All adults eligible to vote are also eligible to candidate to a Regional Council.

Composition of the Senate

For the current composition of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, see

List of MPs elected in the 2017 Czech legislative election The 8th Chamber of Deputies is the assembled legislature of the lower house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic following the election held on 20 and 21 October 2017. All 200 Members of Parliament (MPs) were elected to serve a 4-year term. C ...

Recent political developments

From 1991, the Czech Republic, originally as part of Czechoslovakia and since 1993 in its own right, has been a member of the

Visegrád Group The Visegrád Group (also known as the Visegrád Four, the V4, or the European Quartet) is a cultural and political alliance of four Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The alliance aims to advance co-op ...

and from 1995, the

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate ...

. The Czech Republic joined

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

on 12 March 1999 and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

on 1 May 2004. On 21 December 2007 the Czech Republic joined the

Schengen Area The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and ...

. Until 2017, either the

or the Civic Democratic Party led the governments of the Czech Republic. In October 2017, populist movement ANO 2011, led by the country's second-richest man,

Andrej Babiš Andrej Babiš (; born 2 September 1954) is a Czech politician and businessman of Slovak descent who served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2021. Babis previously served as the Minister of Finance and deputy Prime Minist ...

, won the

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

with three times more votes than its closest rival, the centre-right Civic Democrats. In December 2017, Czech President

appointed Andrej Babiš as the new Prime Minister. On 28 November 2021, Czech President Milos Zeman appointed opposition leader Petr Fiala as the country's new prime minister. The centre-right coalition Spolu (meaning Together) won tightly contested

legislative elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ...

in October 2021 against Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his populist ANO party. Babis had sought re-election after four years in power.

References

External links

Constitution of the Czech Republic

Website with results of all elections in Czech and English

RZB Group: Czech Republic – Election 2006 Special

Czech 2006 Election blog by the Prague Daily Monitor

Erik Herron's Guide to Politics of East Central Europe and Eurasia
Government
Official governmental website
English
Official presidential website
English
Official Senate website
English
Portal of the Public Administration
Czech

CIA library on World leaders {{DEFAULTSORT:Politics Of The Czech Republic