next election to be held in February 2013); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Vaclav KLAUS reelected president on 15 February
2008; Vaclav KLAUS 141 votes, Jan SVEJNAR 111 votes (third round;
combined votes of both chambers of parliament)

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat
(81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of
Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 17-18 and 24-25 October
2008 (next to be held in October 2010); Chamber of Deputies - last
held 2-3 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - ODS 35, CSSD 29, KDU-CSL 7, others 8, independents 2;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - ODS 35.4%, CSSD
32.3%, KSCM 12.8%, KDU-CSL 7.2%, Greens 6.3%, other 6%; seats by
party - ODS 81, CSSD 74, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6; note - seats
by party as of December 2007 - ODS 81, CSSD 72, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13,
Greens 6, unaffiliated 2 (former CSSD members)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen
are appointed by the president for a 10-year term

Political parties and leaders:

Association of Independent Candidates-European Democrats or SNK-ED
[Helmut DOHNALEK]; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's
Party or KDU-CSL [Jiri CUNEK]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek
TOPOLANEK]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech
FILIP]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK]; Union
of Freedom-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan CERNY]; Green Party
[Martin BURSIK]; Independent Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir ZELEZNY];
Party of Open Society (SOS) [Pavel NOVACEK]; Path of Change [Jiri
LOBKOWITZ]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH]

International organization participation:

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI,
CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,
MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA