Constitution: ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993
Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vaclav HAVEL (since 26 January 1993);
election last held 26 January 1993 (next to be held NA January 1998);
results - Vaclav HAVEL elected by the National Council
head of government: Prime Minister Vaclav KLAUS (since NA June 1992);
Deputy Prime Ministers Ivan KOCARNIK, Josef LUX, Jan KALVODA (since NA
June 1992)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president on recommendation of the
prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral National Council (Narodni rada) Senate: elections not yet held; seats (81 total) Chamber of Deputies: elections last held 5-6 June 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA given breakup and realignment of all parliamentary opposition parties since 1992; seats - (200 total) governing coalition: ODS 65, KDS 10, ODA 16, KDU-CSL 15, opposition: CSSD 18, LB 25, KSCM 10, LSU 9, LSNS 5, CMSS 9, SPR-RSC 6, independents 12
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders:
governing coalition: Civic Democratic Party (ODS), Vaclav KLAUS,
chairman; Christian Democratic Party (KDS), Ivan PILIP, chairman;
Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA), Jan KALVODA, chairman; Christian
Democratic Union/Czech People's Party (KDU-CSL), Josef LUX, chairman
opposition: Czech Social Democrats (CSSD - left opposition), Milos
ZEMAN, chairman; Left Bloc (LB - left opposition), Marie STIBOROVA,
chairman; Communist Party (KSCM - left opposition), Miroslav
GREBENICEK, chairman; Liberal Social Union (LSU - left opposition),
Frantisek TRNKA, chairman; Liberal National Social Party (LSNS -
center party), Pavel HIRS, chairman; Bohemian-Moravian Center Party
(CMSS - center party), Jan KYCER, chairman; Assembly for the Republic
(SPR-RSC - right radical) , Miroslav SLADEK, chairman
Other political or pressure groups: Czech-Moravian Chamber of Trade
Unions; Civic Movement
Member of: Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (guest), CEI, CERN, EBRD,
ECE, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
NACC, NSG, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIL, UNOMOZ,
UNPROFOR, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael ZANTOVSKY
chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 363-6315, 6316
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540