| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Parlament / Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Poslanecka Snemovna / Chamber of Deputies |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Senat / Senate
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) (from/to) | 28 May 2010
29 May 2010 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the Chamber of Deputies on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
On 5 February 2010
President Václav Klaus set elections to the Chamber of Deputies for 28 and 29 May 2010.
The previous election to the Chamber of Deputies (June 2006) ended in political deadlock: two blocs won exactly 100 seats each in the 200-member Chamber. The then Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek's Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) and its possible ally
the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM)
won 74 and 26 seats respectively. The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) of Mr. Mirek Topolanek
which led the opposition bloc
became the largest party with 81 seats. Its allies - the Christian Democratic Union- Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL) and the Greens (SZ) - took 13 and six seats respectively.
In August 2006
President Klaus (the ODS Honorary Chairman) appointed Mr. Topolanek as the new Prime Minister. However
in October Mr. Topolanek's minority Government of the ODS failed to win a parliamentary vote of confidence. Following the ODS victory in the Senate elections in October
Mr. Topolanek was named Prime Minister for a second time in November. After lengthy negotiations
his coalition government comprising the ODS
the KDU-CSL and the SZ was finally approved in January 2007
thanks to the abstention of two CSSD parliamentarians.
In February 2008
parliament re-elected Mr. Klaus as the country's president following four rounds of voting. However
the Prime Minister and the President fell out in the run-up to the October 2008 Senate elections over the country's European Union (EU) policies. Mr. Klaus publicly opposed further transfer of power to the EU
the Lisbon Treaty (aimed at reforming EU institutions) and the introduction of the euro. The CSSD fared well in the Senate elections
depriving the ODS of its Senate majority.
In January 2009
the Czech Republic took over the EU Presidency. However
in the middle of its term
on 24 March 2009
the Government lost a vote of non-confidence. It was the first time in the Czech Republic's history that the opposition succeeded in passing a non-confidence motion against the government. The ODS
the CSSD and the SZ agreed to form a non-partisan caretaker government. In May
the then Head of the Czech Statistical Office
Mr. Jan Fisher
was sworn in as Acting Prime Minister. In late May
the Senate passed a bill shortening the term of the Chamber of Deputies in view of early elections to be called for 9 and 10 October at the latest.
Early elections required a constitutional amendment
which President Klaus signed into law in September after its adoption by the Senate. However
several members of the Chamber of Deputies opposed the amendment
arguing that they had the right to serve the full four-year term. Later in the same month
the CSSD
the KSCM and the SZ voted against the Chamber's dissolution. Consequently
the elections were held on 28 and 29 May 2010
a few days before the term of outgoing members expired (on 2 June). The mandate of the caretaker government was extended until the new elections.
Shortly before the 2010 elections
on 30 April
Mr. Miloslav Vlcek (CSSD) resigned both as Speaker and parliamentarian over scandals related to alleged improper loan arrangements. Mr. Vlcek had lobbied for a 25 million crown State grant (about 973
000 euros) for a sports centre that his former assistant had promised to build. However
the latter is reported to have used the grant to build a large hotel instead. Ms. Miroslava Nemcová (ODS) became Acting Speaker.
A total of 25 parties and movements
including all parties in the outgoing legislature
ran in the 2010 elections. The major contenders were the ODS
led by Mr. Petr Necas
the CSSD
led by Mr. Paroubek
and the KSCM of Mr. Vojtech Filip. In addition
two non-parliamentary parties were vying for seats: the Tradition Responsibility Prosperity 09 (TOP 09)
a conservative party led by a former Foreign Minister
Mr. Karel Schwarzenberg
and the Public Affairs party (VV). The former was launched in September 2009 by dissidents from the KDU-CSL
including former KDU-CSL head Miroslav Kalousek. The VV
founded in 2001
attracted media attention when former TV moderator Radek John became its leader in June 2009.
No formal electoral coalitions were formed
though the rightist parties - the ODS
the TOP 09 - and the centrist VV pledged to implement austerity programmes
while the leftist parties - the CSSD and the KSCM - as well as the KDU-CSL promised more social benefits.
The ODS election programme
Vision 2020
focussed on fiscal restraint. ODS leader Necas insisted the country needed to reduce its debt and prevent abuse of the welfare system. The ODS promised to adopt a law to ensure inter alia budgetary responsibility and reduced ministerial spending. It also promised pension reform by introducing voluntary contributions.
Mr. Schwarzenberg's TOP 09 proposed more radical austerity measures. It pledged to reduce State wages and to cut State contributions to political parties by 50 per cent
while maintaining healthcare and pensions.
The VV presented a ten-point plan in which it promised better healthcare services and a 10-per-cent cut in the number of civil servants. It also pledged pension reform and stricter conditions for unemployment benefits.
Former Prime Minister Paroubek's CSSD ran under the slogan "Change and Hope". The CSSD pledged to give top priority to economic recovery and to abolishing the current flat tax system in favour of a return to a progressive tax system. It also promised to use EU subsidies more efficiently.
The KSCM promised to introduce interest-free home loans for newlyweds and a minimum monthly wage of 14
000 CZK (540 euros)
and gradually to increase the minimum pension from CZK 2
080 (80 euros) to 10
000 CZK (390 euros) per month. It promised to lower the VAT on basic goods to 5 per cent
to eliminate the VAT on food and medicines
and to increase corporate and dividend taxes.
The 2010 elections were held against the backdrop of the Greek and euro-zone crises. In May
euro-zone members and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed a 110 billion euro three-year bail-out package for Greece
whose debt had reached 300 billion euros
or 125% of its GDP (gross domestic product) by March 2010. Amid fears that other countries in the euro-zone might face a similar economic crisis
the euro fell to a four-year low against the dollar in mid-May.
The dominant theme during the campaign in the Czech Republic was how to deal with the country's public deficit. In 2009
the Czech public finance deficit reached 5.9 per cent of GDP - almost double the maximum 3 per cent limit set by the EU's Maastricht criteria. Finance Minister Eduard Janota said the government's austerity plan could bring the deficit below 3 per cent of GDP by 2013. All major parties endorsed the plan. The TOP 09 and the ODS further pledged to balance the budget in 2015 and 2017 respectively. Major parties
including the CSSD and the ODS
said the country would be ready to enter the euro-zone by no later than 2016. The TOP 09 did not set a date to adopt the euro.
In all
62.60 per cent of 8.4 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
The final result was another stalemate with no party securing a majority in the Chamber of Deputies. Both major parties ended up with fewer seats than in the outgoing legislature. The CSSD came in first with 56 seats (down from 74)
narrowly followed by the ODS
which took 53 seats (down from 81). The KSCM took 26 seats. In all
44 women were elected.
The KDU-CSL failed to win any seats in the Chamber of Deputies for the first time since the Czech Republic was founded in 1993
prompting its leader
Mr. Cyril Svoboda
to resign. The SZ also failed to retain its representation in the Chamber of Deputies. CSSD leader Paroubek took responsibility for his party's defeat and announced his resignation as well.
On 22 June
the newly elected Chamber of Deputies held its first session. On 24 June
it elected former Acting Speaker
Ms. Miroslava Nemcová (ODS)
as its Speaker.
After lengthy negotiations
a new coalition government comprising the ODS
the TOP 09 and the VV was formed on 13 July. The new government headed by Mr. Necas (ODS) won a vote of confidence on 10 August. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 (from/to) | 28 May 2010
29 May 2010 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
8'415'892
5'268'098 (62.6%)
32'963
5'230'859 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) |
|
1'155'267 |
|
|
22.09 |
|
|
| Civic Democratic Party (ODS) |
|
1'057'792 |
|
|
20.22 |
|
|
| Tradition Responsibility Prosperity 09 (TOP 09) |
|
873'833 |
|
|
16.71 |
|
|
| Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) |
|
589'765 |
|
|
11.27 |
|
|
| Public Affairs party (VV) |
|
569'127 |
|
|
10.88 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) |
56
|
|
|
|
|
| Civic Democratic Party (ODS) |
53
|
|
|
|
|
| Tradition Responsibility Prosperity 09 (TOP 09) |
41
|
|
|
|
|
| Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) |
26
|
|
|
|
|
| Public Affairs party (VV) |
24
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
156
44
22.00%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
21 to 30 years
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
Over 70 years
|
10
35
62
66
24
3
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
| Civil service and local authority administration |
69 |
| Entrepreneur |
30 |
| Education profession |
19 |
| Physician
dentist |
17 |
| Finance
management or business |
15 |
| Legal profession |
11 |
| Political party official |
7 |
| Civil society activity |
7 |
| Architect
surveyor
engineer |
5 |
| Others |
3 |
| Economist |
3 |
| Agriculture/farming |
3 |
| Armed services/Police |
2 |
| Clerical
secretarial
administration |
2 |
| Journalism
broadcasting
media |
2 |
| Research/sciences |
1 |
| Trade union official |
1 |
| Nursing |
1 |
| IT/technology |
1 |
| Home-maker
care-taker |
1 |
|
| Comments |
Sources:
Chamber of Deputies (31.05.2010
03.03.2011)
http://www.volby.cz/pls/ps2010/ps?xjazyk=EN
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
