Czech Republic. Contents

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1 Contents Czech Republic The political and administrative organisation of the Czech Republic... 2 The Czech Republic s 14 regions... 2 The last national elections th and 29 th May 2010: Czech Parliamentary elections results... 3 The different elections June 1998: municipal elections in the Czech Republic November 2000: regional elections in the Czech Republic November 2002: municipal elections and regional (Prague region) in the Czech Republic and 6 November 2004: regional elections in the Czech Republic October 2006: municipal elections in the Czech Republic October 2008: regional elections in the Czech Republic October 2010: municipal elections... 7 Forthcoming local elections

2 The political and administrative organisation of the Czech Republic National level: The Czech Republic has a bicameral parliament made up of a Chamber of Deputies, with 200 members elected for four-year terms by proportional representation, and the Senate, whose 81 members are elected for six-year terms. Territorial level: Provinces (kraj): 14. Each province has a regional council with between 45 and 70 members elected for four-year terms. The regions are responsible for regional development, planning, environment protection, regional public transport, regional roads, schools, social services and healthcare. The Czech Republic s smallest region is Karlovy Vary, which has a population of 305,000; the biggest, Ostrava, has 1,283,000 inhabitants. Municipalities (obec): 6,254. They are governed by a municipal council elected every four years. The Czech Republic s 14 regions (in brackets the number of members sitting on the council) - Prague (70) - Central Bohemia (65) - Ceske Budejovice (55) - Plzen (45) - Carlsbad (45) - Usti nad Labem (55) - Liberec (45) - Hradec Kralove (45) - Pardubice (45) - Jihlava (45) - Brno (65) - Olomouc (55) - Zlin (45) - Ostrava (65) 2

3 The last national elections - 28 th and 29 th May 2010: Czech Parliamentary elections results Turnout: 62,60% Political Parties Number of votes won Pourcentage of votes won Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) 1,155, Civic Democratic Party (ODS) 1,057, Tradition, Responsibility, Prosperity 09 (TOP 09) 873, Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) 589, Public Affairs (VV) 569, Christian Democratic Union - Czechoslovak Number of seats won 229, People's Party (KDU-CSL) Party of Civic Rights (SPO) 226, Sovereignty (S) 192, Green Party (CZ) 127, Others 208, Source: Analysis of the results: The different elections June 1998: municipal elections in the Czech Republic Turnout: 58% Party Percentage of Number of seats votes cast Christian Democratic Union/ Czechoslovak People s Party (KDU/CSL) Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Social Democratic Party (CSSD) Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) Independents and others Source: Turnout for Czech municipal elections ( ) Date of elections Turnout (%) Source: 3

4 November 2000: regional elections in the Czech Republic The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) won the first regional elections in the Czech Republic, taking 23.8% of the vote and winning seven of the country s 13 regions (the Prague region had elected in regional council in November 2002). The Christian Democratic Union/Czechoslovak People s Party (KDU/CSL) came second, winning 22.9% of the vote and five regions. Lastly, the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) won 21.1% of the vote and one region (Usti nad Labem) and came second in another seven. The Social Democratic Party (CSSD) was the big loser, failing to win a single region, not even its stronghold of Ostrava, where it was beaten by the ODS (20 seats) and the KSCM (18 seats). Together, the four main parties took 628 of the 675 seats up for election. Turnout was higher than expected, totalling 33.64%. Results of regional elections in the Czech Republic, November 2000 Turnout: 33.64% Parties Percentage of Number of seats votes cast Christian Democratic Union/Czechoslovak People s Party (KDU/CSL) Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Social Democratic Party (CSSD) Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) Independents and others Source: November 2002: municipal elections and regional (Prague region) in the Czech Republic Voters were called to the polls for municipal elections on 1 and 2 November 2002 (electoral tradition in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia has it that elections are held over a two-day period, from the Friday morning to the Saturday afternoon). Nearly half the voters cast votes, giving considerable support to independent candidates, as well as regional and small parties, which obtained roughly 60% of the vote. Among parliamentary parties, the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) gained the best results, winning on all of the country s biggest cities and in Prague (30 of the 70 seats). Supported by a coalition covering his party, the Civic Democratic Party, and the Social Democrats, Pavel Bem, 39, was elected mayor of the capital. Previously thought to be a likely successor to Vaclav Klaus at the head of the ODS, he took himself out of the running for this job, saying that his new position would not leave him enough time to run the party as well. - 5 and 6 November 2004: regional elections in the Czech Republic Regional council elections were held on 5 and 6 November 2004; 675 seats were up for election. Residents of Prague did not vote; the next council elections are scheduled for The regional elections were held on the same day as the first round of voting in Senate elections. 4

5 The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) won in 12 of the 13 regions, with 43.11% of the vote compared with 23.26% for their main rival, the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM). The Democratic Socialist Party (CSSD) took 15.56% of the vote and the Christian Democrat Union (KDU-CSL) 10.67%. The main opposition party will accordingly hold 291 of the 675 regional council seats, 106 more than after the previous regional elections in November The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia won 157 seats, the Social Democrats 105 and the Christian Democrat Union 72. Freedom Union (US-DEU) won six seats. Results of regional elections in the Czech Republic, 5 and 6 November 2004 Turnout: 29% Party Percentage of Number of seats votes cast Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Democratic Socialist Party (CSSD) Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM). Christian Democrat Union (KDU-CSL) Source: Agence France-Presse October 2006: municipal elections in the Czech Republic Czech voters were called to the polls on October 2006 to elect their 62,483 municipal councillors, in 6,248 municipalities. A total of 201,000 candidates representing 183 parties, movements or coalitions stood for election. As is often the case, a lot of independent lists also stood, especially in the smaller municipalities, larger parties always having greater weight in the bigger cities. Traditionally, the Democratic Socialist Party gets its highest scores in the rural regions, while the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia has its strongest roots in Bohemia and Northern Moravia. These two regions have been hit hard by the country s economic crisis, which has led to the closure of mines and steelworks. Civic Democratic Party gets its highest scores in the western and southern parts of the country, as well as in the largest cities. Since the 2-3 June 2006 legislative elections, the Czech Republic has been in a political impasse. While the Civic Democratic Party got the highest amount of support in this poll (35.37% of the vote and 81 seats), ahead of the Democratic Socialist Party (32.32% and 74 seats), the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (12.81% and 26 seats), Christian Democrat Union (7.22% and 13 seats) and the greens (6.29% and 6 seats), it was not able to form a coalition government enjoying a majority in parliament. The two coalitions, ODS/KDU-CSL/Greens on the one hand and CSSD/KSCM on the other hand, each have 100 seats. Appointed prime minister on 4 September 2006, Civic Democratic Party leader Mirek Topolanek was forced to resign on 11 October after only 37 days in office a record for the country. He had been unable to obtain a confidence vote from parliament (96 votes in favour of his government from the Civic Democratic Party, the Greens and some Christian Democrat Union-People s Party members, and 99 votes against). Strangely the ODS leader had stressed when his government was appointed that his main goal was to lead the country to early elections. President Vaclav Klaus (ODS) had clearly refused to sanction a de coalition government with the Social democrats, having not forgotten the rejection of his party by 5

6 voters at the June 2002 legislative elections after having accepted in July 1998 a stability pact with the Democratic Socialist Party. The Social Democrats said that the Civic Democratic Party had accepted the CSSD government in exchange for key posts within the country s political institutions. Independent candidates won a relative majority within the country s municipal councils. The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) won 36.2% of the vote, while the Democratic Socialist Party (CSSD) won 16.63% and the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) 11.71%. In the capital, Prague, a Civic Democratic Party stronghold, the ODS won a historic victory, to quote incumbent mayor Pavel Bem (ODS), winning a clear mandate with 54.43% of the vote. Pavel Bem ran against Petra Buzkova (CSSD), a popular former education minister, who had announced her retirement form politics in June, before going back on her word. Voters in Havirov re-elected their mayor, Martin Balsan, assassinated along with lawyer Ivana Kabzanova on 18 September 2005, in homage to his work for the municipality. Antonin Sikora, who came second in the election, will take on the job of mayor of Havirov. Turnout totalled 46.38% October 2008: regional elections in the Czech Republic Czech voters went to the polls on 17 and 18 October 2008 to renew regional assemblies in 13 of the country s 14 regions (there was no election in Prague). The main opposition party, the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD), led by Jiri Paroubek, emerged as the clear winner, taking 35.86% of the vote and winning power in all regions. National Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek s Civic Democratic Party (ODS), which has been in power since 2006, took 23.57% of the vote, the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) 15%, the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People s Party 7%, and the Greens (SZ) 3%. The main opposition party took 280 of the 675 seats up for grabs across the country (+175 compared with the previous regional elections on 5-6 November 2004), the Civic Democratic Party 180 (-111), the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) 114 (-43), Jiri Cunek s Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People s Party (KDU-CSL) L) 43, while the Greens (SZ), led by Martin Bursik, lost their two sole regional councillors. A further 58 seats went to regional parties. Turnout was high for this type of election in the Czech Republic, at 40%. The Social Democratic Party built its campaign around opposition to the tight budgetary policies of the Mirek Topolanek (ODS) government and, even more importantly, criticism of the compulsory minimum charge borne by patients for every consultation, prescription and day s hospitalisation, brought in by the national government. Jiri Paroubek said that these regional elections were a referendum on Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek. I can t see how this government can remain in place during our presidency of the European Union, he said. The Czech Republic will fill the EU s rotating presidency in the first half of After the election, the Social Democratic Party called for early legislative elections and the formation of a government of national union with the country s EU presidency in mind. This was rejected out of hand by Mirek Topolanek: The results of the 2-3 June 2006 legislative elections were decisive for the existence of this government according to the Constitution, and they are still valid, said the Prime Minister. Mirek Topolanek attributed his party s debacle in the regional and Senate elections (held the same day) to the fact that regional councillors had opted to run individual campaigns at regional level, addressing local issues, rather than to join forces nationally. We paid a price 6

7 for the government s policies. The voters certainly wanted change, but I would have a bad impression if the victim was the centre-right government, said the Prime Minister, using the expression used by President Vaclav Klaus against him. It is not right that the victims [of these bad results] should be the presidents of regional assemblies who, it is generally agreed, have done a good job, said President Klaus. Pavel Bem, mayor of the capital, Prague, and the Prime Minister s rival in the Civic Democratic Party, described the results as a regional Armageddon. Czech Republic, October 2010: municipal elections On 15 and 16 October, in conjunction with the first round of the country s Senate elections, all Czech voters were called to the polls for municipal elections. A total of 208,300 candidates stood for the 62,178 seats on municipal councils. The country has a total of 6,244 municipalities. The Social Democratic Party took 19.72% of the vote and 4,633 seats. Prime Minister Petr Necas s Civic Democratic Party won fewer votes (18.8%) but more seats (5,181). Michaela Sojdrova s Christian and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People s Party (KDU-CSL) won 6% of the vote and 3,897 seats, while Tradition, Responsibility and Prosperity 09 (TOP 09), a member of the governing coalition, took 9.5% of the vote. Turnout was 48.5%. In Prague, TOP 09, led by Zdenek Tuma, a former governor of the Czech central bank, scored the highest result, with 30.2% of the vote. It was followed by the Civic Democratic Party, led by Bohuslav Sobotka, which tool 23.1% of the vote, and the Social Democratic Party, whose candidate for the job of mayor was Jiri Dienstbier junior, which took 17.8% of the vote. TOP 09 won 26 seats on the Prague municipal council, the Civic Democratic Party 20, the Social Democratic Party 14 and the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) 3. Turnout was 44.43%. It is more likely that the Civic Democratic Party lost the capital which it had been running since 1991 due to corruption scandals involving some of its members than because of voters resentment of the austerity policies adopted by Petr Necas s government. Former president Vaclav Havel ( ) spoke out during the campaign in the capital, saying that the municipal elections should serve to clean up Prague. But he did not say which party he would support. At the national level, the Social Democratic Party won 13 of the 24 prefectures. It topped the polling in Brno, the country s second-largest city, and in Ostrava. The Civic Democratic Party took four prefectures, TOP 09 in two (Prague and Zlin, a town in South Moravia), the last two being taken by local parties. Some of its wins posed problems for the Social Democrats. Despite having achieved the highest scores, they had to form alliances in order to govern. Some Social Democrats are favourable to grand coalitions with the Civic Democratic Party; others are opposed, saying that such a strategy would stop the party from appearing as a credible opposition party with a clear platform. These members maintained that it was impossible to justify sharing power with the Civic Democratic Party at a time when the voters had just expressed their discontent with that party. According to President Vaclav Klaus, the Civic Democratic Party paid the price of the unfortunate leadership of Mirek Topolanek ( ) and the penetration of the party by lobbies in these municipal elections. In reality, it would appear that the governing party failed 7

8 because of the numerous corruption scandals in which several of its members are involved, at the national level as well as in the capital. These municipal elections, and especially TOP 09 s win in Prague, went against presidential declarations to the effect that he preferred solidly anchored parties to small parties, which, he said, never survive for long. Local elections do not have an impact on government policy, although the failure of Public Affairs (VV), a party led by former journalist Radek John, could weaken the governing coalition (comprising the Civic Democratic Party, TOP 09 and Public Affairs) and threaten its stability. Forthcoming local elections - Regional elections: Autumn