View source for Politics of the Czech Republic

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{{more citations needed|date=August 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox political system
| name                    = '''Politics of the Czech Republic'''
| native_name =
| image                   = Coat of arms of the Czech Republic.svg
| image_size              = 160
| caption                 = [[Coat of Arms of the Czech Republic]]
| government              = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[republic]]
| constitution            = [[Constitution of the Czech Republic]] 
| formation               = [[Dissolution of Czechoslovakia|1 January 1993]]
| website                 =  
| legislature             = [[Parliament of the Czech Republic]]
| legislature_type        = [[Bicameral]] 
| legislature_place       = {{plainlist|
*[[Wallenstein Palace]] 
*[[ Thun Palace]]
}}
| upperhouse              = [[Senate of the Czech Republic|Senate]]
| upperhouse_speaker      = [[Miloš Vystrčil]]
| upperhouse_speaker_title= [[President of the Senate of the Czech Republic|President of the Senate]]
| upperhouse_appointer    = 
| lowerhouse              = [[Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic|Chamber of Deputies]]
| lowerhouse_speaker      = [[Markéta Pekarová Adamová]]
| lowerhouse_speaker_title= [[President of the Chamber of Deputies (Czech Republic)|President of the Chamber of Deputies]]
| lowerhouse_appointer    = 
| title_hos               = [[President of the Czech Republic|President]] 
| current_hos             = [[Petr Pavel]]
| appointer_hos           = [[Direct popular vote]], [[two-round system]]
| title_hog               = [[Prime Minister of the Czech Republic|Prime Minister]] 
| current_hog             = [[Petr Fiala]]
| appointer_hog           = Chamber of Deputies 
| cabinet                 = [[Cabinet of the Czech Republic]] 
| current_cabinet         = [[Cabinet of Petr Fiala]]
| cabinet_leader          = Prime Minister
| cabinet_deputyleader    = 
| cabinet_appointer       = 
| cabinet_hq              = [[Straka Academy]], [[Prague]] 
| cabinet_ministries      = [[Czech government departments#Ministerial departments|Ministerial departments]]
| judiciary               = [[Judiciary of the Czech Republic|Judiciary]]
| law                     = [[Law of the Czech Republic]]
| court                   = [[Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic|Constitutional Court]]
| court_seat              = Joštova 625, [[Brno]]
| court1                  = [[Supreme Court of the Czech Republic|Supreme Court]]
| court_seat1             = Burešova 20, [[Brno]]
| court2                  = [[Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic|Supreme Administrative Court]]
| court_seat2             = Moravské náměstí 6, [[Brno]]
  
}}
{{Politics of the Czech Republic}}

The [[Czech Republic]] is a [[Unitary state|unitary]] [[parliamentary republic]], in which the [[President of the Czech Republic|president]] is the [[head of state]] and the [[Prime Minister of the Czech Republic|prime minister]] is the [[head of government]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/czech-republic|title=Czech Republic {{!}} World news|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-10-04}}</ref> Executive power is exercised by the [[Government of the Czech Republic]], which reports to the [[Chamber of Deputies]]. The legislature is exercised by the [[Parliament of the Czech Republic|Parliament]]. The Czech Parliament is [[bicameral]]: the upper house of the Parliament is the [[Senate of the Czech Republic|Senate]], and the lower house is the [[Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic|Chamber of Deputies]]. 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 the [[Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic|Constitutional Court]], [[Supreme Court of the Czech Republic|Supreme Court]] and [[Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic|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,<ref name="ustava">{{cite web |title=Constitution of the Czech Republic |url=https://public.psp.cz/en/docs/laws/constitution.html |website=Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic |access-date=30 January 2021 }}</ref> after the [[dissolution of Czechoslovakia]].

The Czech Republic has a [[multi-party system]]. Between 1993 and 2013, the two largest political parties were the centre-left [[Czech Social Democratic Party]] (ČSSD) and centre-right [[Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)|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.

{{Democracy Index rating|Czech Republic|full democracy|2024}} According to the [[V-Dem Democracy indices]] the Czech Republic was 2023 the 16th most electoral democratic country in the world.<ref name="vdem_dataset">{{cite web |last=V-Dem Institute |date=2023 |title=The V-Dem Dataset |url=https://www.v-dem.net/data/the-v-dem-dataset/ |access-date=14 October 2023}}</ref>

==Executive branch==
The president is the head of state, and 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).
{{office-table}}
|[[President of the Czech Republic|President]]
|[[Petr Pavel]]
|Independent
|9 March 2023
|-
|[[Prime Minister of the Czech Republic|Prime Minister]]
|[[Petr Fiala]]
|[[Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)|Civic Democratic Party]]
|28 November 2021
|}

=== President ===
{{Main|President of the Czech Republic}}

The [[president of the Czech Republic]] is elected by a direct vote for five years. They can only serve for two terms. The president is a formal [[head of state]] with limited executive powers specified in the articles 54 to 66 of the [[Constitution of the Czech Republic|Constitution]]:<ref name="ustava"/>

* 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 (Czech Republic)|Supreme Audit Office]]
* to appoint members of the [[Board of the Czech National Bank]]
* to appoint or dismiss heads of diplomatic missions

The president is also the commander in chief of the Armed Forces and ratifies all domestic laws and international agreements.

=== Cabinet ===
{{Main|Government of the Czech Republic}}[[File:Pražský hrad s katedrálou z Petřína.JPG|thumb|Prague Castle, the seat of the president of the Czech Republic]][[File:Garden of Straka Academy, Prague Malá Strana.jpg|thumbnail|right|[[Straka Academy]], the seat of the Cabinet, [[Prague]]]]
[[File:WallensteinPalacePrague.jpg|thumb|[[Wallenstein Palace]], the seat of the Senate, [[Prague]]]]
The [[Cabinet of the Czech Republic|Cabinet]] 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 ====
{{Main|Prime Minister of the Czech Republic}}

The prime minister is the head of government. The prime minister organizes the work of the Cabinet, presides over it and acts in its name. The prime minister sets the agenda for most foreign and domestic policies but has to obtain the president's approval to hire or dismiss any other member of the Cabinet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vlada.cz/en/vlada/premier/|title=Prime Minister {{!}} Government of the Czech Republic|website=www.vlada.cz|language=en|access-date=2018-10-04}}</ref>

==== Ministers ====
Ministers are any member of the Cabinet who are not the prime minister. They are usually the head of a [[Ministry (government department)|ministry]], but this is not required. A 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]]. As of 2021, the Czech Republic had 13 ministers and 14 ministries.{{Huh?|date=March 2023}}

==Legislative branch==
{{Main|Parliament of the Czech Republic}}

[[Image:Thunovský palác, Sněmovní 05.JPG|thumb|[[Thun Palace]], the seat of the Chamber of Deputies, [[Prague]]]]The [[Parliament of the Czech Republic|Parliament]] (''Parlament'' in Czech) consists of [[bicameralism|two houses]]. The lower house is the Chamber of Deputies, and the upper house is the Senate.

{{office-table}}
|[[President of the Chamber of Deputies (Czech Republic)|President of the Chamber of Deputies]]
|[[Markéta Pekarová Adamová]]
|[[TOP 09]]
|10 November 2021
|-
|[[President of the Senate of the Czech Republic|President of the Senate]]
|[[Miloš Vystrčil]]
|[[Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)|Civic Democratic Party]]
|19 February 2020
|}

===Chamber of Deputies===

The [[Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic|Chamber of Deputies]] ({{Lang|cs|Poslanecká sněmovna}} in Czech) has 200 members, elected for four-year terms by [[proportional representation]] with a 5% [[election threshold]]. 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 of the Czech Republic|regions]]. 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]]. It has the same powers and responsibilities as the now-defunct [[Federal Assembly (Czechoslovakia)|Federal Assembly of the Czechoslovakia]].

===Senate===

The [[Senate of the Czech Republic|Senate]] (''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]], 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==
{{Main|Judiciary of the Czech Republic}}

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

===Constitutional Court===

The [[Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic|Constitutional Court]]'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.<ref>{{Citation| last = Parliament of the Czech Republic| year = 1992| title = Constitution of the Czech Republic, Art. 84| url = http://www.psp.cz/cgi-bin/eng/docs/laws/1993/1.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120530041428/http://www.psp.cz/cgi-bin/eng/docs/laws/1993/1.html| archive-date  = 30 May 2012}}</ref> Its functionality is similar to that of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]].

===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]].
[[Image:Czechpolsystem.png|thumb|Simplified chart of the Czech political system]]

====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 (Czech Republic)|high courts]] in the Czech Republic – one in [[Prague]] and one in [[Olomouc]] . 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 [[Ministry of Justice (Czech Republic)|minister of justice]] and also serve a seven-year term. A justice is required by the law to have at least eight years of experience before becoming a member of a High Court.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zákon č. 6/2002 Sb. |url=https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/2002-6 |access-date=30 January 2021 |language=Czech}}</ref>

===Regional courts===

[[Regional courts (Czech Republic)|Regional courts]] serve mainly as the courts of appeal to district courts and also as the only instance of administrative courts besides the Supreme Administrative Court. However, 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]], [[Hradec Králové]], [[Ústí nad Labem]], [[Plzeň]], [[České Budějovice]] and two in [[Prague]].

===District courts===
[[File:Ústavní soud České republiky.jpg|thumb|Seat of the Constitutional Court, Brno]]
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 [[Ministry of Justice (Czech Republic)|minister of justice]] to their jurisdictions.

==Regional government==

[[File:CoA CZ regions.png|thumb|Regions of the Czech Republic with their coats of arms]]

{{Main|Regions of the Czech Republic}}

The Czech Republic is divided in 14 administrative [[Regions of the Czech Republic|regions]], including one for the capital of Prague. The older system of 73 administrative [[Districts of the Czech Republic|districts]] (''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 [[Prague City Council|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 be a candidate to a regional council.

==Composition of the Senate==
{{elect|List of political parties in the Czech Republic|Elections in the Czech Republic}}
For the current composition of the [[Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic]], see [[List of MPs elected in the 2017 Czech legislative election]].
{{Composition of the Senate of the Czech Republic}}

== 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]] and from 1995, the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]]. The Czech Republic joined [[NATO]] on 12 March 1999 and the [[European Union]] on 1 May 2004. On 21 December 2007 the Czech Republic joined the [[Schengen Area]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://factsmaps.com/eu-nato-schengen-eurozone-member-states-in-europe/|title=EU, NATO, Schengen and Eurozone member states in Europe|date=13 October 2018}}</ref>

Until 2017, either the [[Czech Social Democratic Party]] or the [[Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)|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]], won the [[2017 Czech legislative election|elections]] with three times more votes than its closest rival, the centre-right Civic Democrats.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41708844|title = Czech election: Billionaire Babis wins by large margin|work = BBC News|date = 21 October 2017}}</ref> In December 2017, Czech President [[Miloš Zeman]] appointed Andrej Babiš as the new prime minister.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/czech-billionaire-andrej-babis-named-new-prime-minister/a-41680019|title = Czech billionaire Andrej Babis named new prime minister &#124; DW &#124; 06.12.2017| website=[[Deutsche Welle]] }}</ref>

On 28 November 2021, Czech President Miloš Zeman appointed opposition leader [[Petr Fiala]] as the country's new prime minister.  The centre-right coalition [[Spolu (Czech Republic)|Spolu]] (meaning Together) won tightly contested [[2021 Czech legislative election|legislative elections]] in October 2021 against Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his [[Right-wing populism|right-wing populist]] ANO party.  Babiš  had sought re-election after four years in power.<ref>{{cite news |title=Covid-positive Czech president appointed new PM from plexiglass box |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59452646 |work=BBC News |date=28 November 2021}}</ref> In January 2023, Former NATO general [[Petr Pavel]] won the [[2023 Czech presidential election|election]] runoff over Andrej Babiš to succeed Miloš Zeman as the fourth president of the Czech Republic.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Czech president aims to renew 'truth, dignity, respect' – DW – 01/30/2023 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/new-czech-president-aims-to-bring-back-truth-dignity-respect/a-64555020 |work=dw.com |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Government of the Czech Republic]]
*[[Ministry of Finance (Czech Republic)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081220003426/http://www.hrad.cz/en/ustava_cr/index.shtml Constitution of the Czech Republic]
* [http://www.volby.cz/ Website with results of all elections in Czech and English]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060526083516/http://www.rzb.at/eBusiness/services/resources/lnz_resource_rzb_static/0,7130,1023296711504-1025308884300_1025311539513_1025311893931-65903287614859521-1-NA-NA,00.pdf RZB Group: Czech Republic – Election 2006 Special]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060718023209/http://www.praguemonitor.com/czech-election-2006/ Czech 2006 Election blog by the Prague Daily Monitor]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060702103322/http://www.ku.edu/%7Eherron/ Erik Herron's Guide to Politics of East Central Europe and Eurasia]
Government
* [http://www.vlada.cz/en/ Official governmental website] English
* [http://www.hrad.cz/en/ Official presidential website] English
* [http://www.senat.cz/index-eng.php Official Senate website] English
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120812061745/http://portal.gov.cz/portal/obcan/ Portal of the Public Administration] Czech
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081210080250/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-c/czech-republic.html Chief of State and Cabinet Members] CIA library on World leaders

{{Czech Republic topics}}
{{Politics of Europe}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Politics Of The Czech Republic}}
[[Category:Politics of the Czech Republic| ]]