Regional & Senate Elections

17-18 October, 24-25 October 2008

Description of Electoral System:

(courtesy of IFES election guide)

The President is elected by parliament to serve a 5-year term. In the Senate (Senat), 81 members are elected by popular vote to serve 6-year terms. In the Chamber of Deputies, (Poslanecka Snemovna) 200 members are elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms.

Electoral Systems Snapshot

(Courtesy of International IDEA)

*Click on links for definitions

WANT MORE ELECTION-RELATED STATS FOR CZECH REPUBLIC? Go to "election databases" on the left-hand menu of this page OR comparative data on the right-hand menu and choose your area of interest.

Past Elections

Elections to the Chamber of Deputies 2006

(courtesy of wikipedia)

An election to the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic took place on 2 June and 3 June 2006. The pre-election campaign was fierce and mostly negative. A major scandal broke out few days before the election. The two largest parties had profited from the divisive campaign - both had obtained the highest percentage of votes ever. Turnout of otherwise apathetic Czech voters was increased, compared to previous parliament election.The election has produced an evenly balanced result. One potential coalition - the Civic Democratics (ODS), Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) and Greens (SZ) - took 100 seats, exactly half. The Social Democrats (ČSSD) and Communists (KSČM) comprised the other half of the chamber, making the possibility of a minority Social Democratic government supported by the Communists equally problematic. This suggests that forming a stable government that will last four years will be difficult.As of July 2006 there has been no progress in forming the new government and possibility of fresh election is growing.

Recent Elections

Presidential Elections 2008

The Head of the State is indirectly elected by legislature in the Czech Republic. In accordance with Article 58 of the Constitution adopted in 1992, in order to win the first round a candidate must gain the majority of all possible votes in the two chambers of Parliament, which vote separately. If there is no winner in the first ballot, the two leading candidates from each house participate in the second round. To be elected in the second ballot, a candidate must have the majority of votes of members present in each chamber, which again vote separately. If there is still no winner, the third round takes place. In order to win at this stage, a candidate must receive the majority of votes of total members present in both houses, which now vote together. The Constitution allows for a period of up to 14 days between each round, but traditionally they all take place in one day. If no candidate wins during the three rounds, the whole election process is repeated until a winner emerges.

In 15 February 2008, in the third round of the second election cycle incumbent Vaclav Klaus was reelected as President of the Czech Republic. To read more about political environment of the 2008 presidental elections click here.

Regional & Senate Elections 2008

Regional elections and the first round of elections to the upper house of parliament were held on 17-18 October.

Total 675 seats were contested in the 13 regional assemblies. The Czech Social Democracy (CSSD) won the recent regional polls in all 13 regions and gained 35.85 % of the vote nationwide. The Civic Democrat (ODS) which is the senior ruling party on the national level, gained 23.57 %, followed by the junior opposition Communists (KSCM) with 15.03 % and the junior governing Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) with 6.65 %. No other party crossed the 5 %threshold. To read about elections to regional councils click here.

Established in 1996, the Senate has 81 members elected for a six year term. Elections to one third of the Senate are held every two years: this time 27 seats had to be allocated among the winners. The first round of recent elections brought success to the Czech senior opposition Social Democracy (CSSD): CSSD candidates advanced to the second round in 25 of the 27 constituencies contested and one candidate was even elected in the first round. As a result of the second round held on 24-25 October 2008, the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) won, gaining 23 of 27 posts, CSSD will have a total of 29 senators. The senior government Civic Democrats (ODS) gained only three and lost their absolute majority in the Senate though with 34 senators ODS will remain the strongest group in the upper house.

For more information on Elections to the Senate read electoral news on the right side of the page, see the summary of election results and click here.