Long-form name:
Czech and Slovak Federal Republic
Type:
federal republic in transition
Capital:
Prague
Administrative divisions:
2 republics (republiky, singular - republika); Czech Republic (Ceska
Republika), Slovak Republic (Slovenska Republika); note - 11 regions (kraj,
singular); Severocesky, Zapadocesky, Jihocesky, Vychodocesky, Praha,
Severomoravsky, Jihomoravsky, Bratislava, Zapadoslovensky, Stredoslovensky,
Vychodoslovensky
Independence:
28 October 1918 (from Austro-Hungarian Empire)
Constitution:
11 July 1960; amended in 1968 and 1970; new Czech, Slovak, and federal
constitutions to be drafted in 1992
Legal system:
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes, modified by Communist
legal theory; constitutional court currently being established; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code in process of modification
to bring it in line with Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
(CSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
National holiday:
National Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) and Founding of the Republic, 28
October (1918)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly (Federalni Shromazdeni) consists of an upper
house or Chamber of Nations (Snemovna Narodu) and a lower house or Chamber
of the People (Snemovna Lidu)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Vaclav HAVEL; (interim president from 29 December 1989 and
president since 5 July 1990)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Marian CALFA (since 10 December 1989); Deputy Prime Minister
Vaclav KLAUS (since 3 October 1991); Deputy Prime Minister Jiri DIENSTBIER
(since 28 June 1990); Deputy Prime Minister Jozef MIKLOSKO (since 28 June
1990); Deputy Prime Minister Pavel RYCHETSKY (since 28 June 1990); Deputy
Prime Minister Pavel HOFFMAN (since 3 October 1991); note - generally,
"prime minister" is used at the federal level, "premier" at the republic
level; Czech Premier - Petr PITHART; Slovak Premier - Jan CARNOGVRSKY
:Czechoslovakia Government
Political parties and leaders:
note - there are very few federation-wide parties; party affiliation is
indicted as Czech (C) or Slovak (S); Civic Democratic Party, Vaclav KLAUS,
chairman, (C/S); Civic Movement, Jiri DIENSTBIER, chairman, (C); Civic
Democratic Alliance, Jan KALVODA, chairman; Christian Democratic Union
Public Against Violence, Martin PORUBJAK, chairman, (S); Christian
Democratic Party, Vaclav BENDA, (C); Christian Democratic Movement, Jan
CARNOGURSKY,(S); Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, Juri SVOBODA,
chairman; Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, Vladimir MECIAR, chairman -
removed from power in November 1989 by massive antiregime demonstrations;
Czechoslovak Social Democracy, Jiri HORAK, chairman, (C); Czechoslovak
Socialist Party, Ladislav DVORAK, chairman, (C)(S); Movement for
Self-Governing Democracy Society for Moravia and Silesia, Jan KRYCER,
chairman, (C); Party of the Democratic Left, Peter WEISS, chairman
(Slovakia's renamed Communists) (S); Slovak National Party, Jozef PROKES,
chairman, (S); Democratic Party, Jan HOLCIK, chairman, (S); Coexistence,
(C)(S)
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
Federal Assembly:
last held 8-9 June 1990 (next to be held 5-6 June 1992); results - Civic
Forum/Public Against Violence coalition 46%, KSC 13.6%; seats - (300 total)
Civic Forum/Public Against Violence coalition 170, KSC 47, Christian and
Democratic Union/Christian Democratic Movement 40, Czech, Slovak, Moravian,
and Hungarian groups 43
President:
last held 5 July 1990 (next to be held 3 July 1992); results - Vaclav HAVEL
elected by the Federal Assembly
Communists:
760,000 party members (September 1990); about 1,000,000 members lost since
November 1989
Other political or pressure groups:
Czechoslovak Socialist Party, Czechoslovak People's Party, Czechoslovak
Social Democracy, Slovak Nationalist Party, Slovak Revival Party, Christian
Democratic Party; over 80 registered political groups fielded candidates in
the 8-9 June 1990 legislative election
Member of:
BIS, CCC, CE, CSCE, EC (associate) ECE, FAO, GATT, HG, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
IFCTU, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NACC, NSG, PCA, UN,
UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Rita KLIMOVA; Chancery at 3900 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008; telephone (202) 363-6315 or 6316
US:
Ambassador Shirley Temple BLACK; Embassy at Trziste 15, 125 48, Prague 1
(mailing address is Unit 25402; APO AE 09213-5630); telephone [42] (2)
536-641/6; FAX [42] (2) 532-457
Flag:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles
triangle based on the hoist side
:Czechoslovakia Economy
Overview:
Czechoslovakia is highly industrialized by East European standards and has a
well-educated and skilled labor force. GDP per capita has been the highest
in Eastern Europe. Annual GDP growth slowed to less than 1 percent during
the 1985-90 period. The country is deficient in energy and in many raw
materials. Moreover, its aging capital plant lags well behind West European
standards. In January 1991, Prague launched a sweeping program to convert
its almost entirely state-owned and controlled economy to a market system.
The koruna now enjoys almost full internal convertibility and over 90% of
prices are set by the market. The government is planning to privatize all
small businesses and roughly two-thirds of large enterprises by the end of
1993. New private-sector activity is also expanding. Agriculture - 95%
socialized - is to be privatized by the end of 1992. Reform has taken its
toll on the economy: inflation was roughly 50% in 1991, unemployment was
nearly 70%, and GDP dropped an estimated 15%. In 1992 the government is
anticipating inflation of 10-15%, unemployment of 11-12%, and a drop in GDP
of up to 8%. As of mid-1992, the nation appears to be splitting in two -
into the industrial Czech area and the more agarian Slovak area.
GDP:
purchasing power equivalent - $108.9 billion, per capita $6,900; real growth
rate -15% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
52% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
officially 6.7% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $4.5 billion; expenditures $4.5 billion, including capital
expenditures of $200 million (1992)
Exports:
$12.0 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
machinery and equipment 39.2%; fuels, minerals, and metals 8.1%;
agricultural and forestry products 6.2%, other 46.5%
partners:
USSR, Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Italy, France, US, UK
Imports:
$13.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
machinery and equipment 37.3%; fuels, minerals, and metals 22.6%;
agricultural and forestry products 7.0%; other 33.1%
partners:
USSR, Germany, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, UK, Italy
External debt:
$9.1 billion, hard currency indebtedness (December 1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate -22% (1991 est.); accounts for almost 60% of GNP
Electricity:
23,000,000 kW capacity; 90,000 million kWh produced, 5,740 kWh per capita
(1990)
Industries:
iron and steel, machinery and equipment, cement, sheet glass, motor
vehicles, armaments, chemicals, ceramics, wood, paper products, footwear
Agriculture:
accounts for 9% of GDP (includes forestry); largely self-sufficient in food
production; diversified crop and livestock production, including grains,
potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit, hogs, cattle, and poultry; exporter of
forest products
:Czechoslovakia Economy
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and emerging as a
transshipment point for Latin American cocaine E
Economic aid:
donor - $4.2 billion in bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed
countries (1954-89)
Currency:
koruna (plural - koruny); 1 koruna (Kc) = 100 haleru
Exchange rates:
koruny (Kcs) per US$1 - 28.36 (January 1992), 29.53 (1991), 17.95 (1990),
15.05 (1989), 14.36 (1988), 13.69 (1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Czechoslovakia Communications
Railroads:
13,103 km total; 12,855 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 102 km 1.520-meter
broad gauge, 146 km 0.750- and 0.760-meter narrow gauge; 2,861 km double
track; 3,798 km electrified; government owned (1988)
Highways:
73,540 km total; including 517 km superhighway (1988)
Inland waterways:
475 km (1988); the Elbe (Labe) is the principal river
Pipelines:
crude oil 1,448 km; petroleum products 1,500 km; natural gas 8,100 km
Ports:
maritime outlets are in Poland (Gdynia, Gdansk, Szczecin), Croatia (Rijeka),
Slovenia (Koper), Germany (Hamburg, Rostock); principal river ports are
Prague on the Vltava, Decin on the Elbe (Labe), Komarno on the Danube,
Bratislava on the Danube
Merchant marine:
22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 290,185 GRT/437,291 DWT; includes 13
cargo, 9 bulk
Civil air:
47 major transport aircraft
Airports:
158 total, 158 usable; 40 with permanent-surface runways; 19 with runways
2,440-3,659 m; 37 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
inadequate circuit capacity; 4 million telephones; Radrel backbone of
network; 25% of households have a telephone; broadcast stations - 32 AM, 15
FM, 41 TV (11 Soviet TV repeaters); 4.4 million TVs (1990); 1 satellite
earth station using INTELSAT and Intersputnik
:Czechoslovakia Defense Forces