Czech Republic flag Czech Republic: Economic and Political Overview

The political framework of the Czech Republic

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders
President: Petr Pavel (since 8 March 2023) - Independent
Prime Minister: Petr Fiala (since 17 December 2021) - ODS
Next Election Dates
Presidential: January 2028
Senate: September 2026
Chamber of Deputies: October 2025
Current Political Context
Petr Fiala, the prime minister and head of the liberal-conservative Civic Democratic Party (ODS), leads a coalition of five parties that rule Czechia. As a member of the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-ČSL) and Top 09 Spolu coalition, the ODS has formed alliances with the moderate Mayors Party and the leftist Pirate Party. They collectively control 108 of the Lower House's 200 seats. The far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), with 20 seats, and the populist ANO party, led by former prime minister Andrej Babiš, hold 72 seats in the opposition. The next general election is scheduled for October 2025. Austerity and growing living expenses have caused the government's popularity to decline since 2023. ANO is making progress, but it is difficult to win a majority without the backing of the far right. With ANO receiving 26% of the vote and Spolu coming in second with a little over 22%, the ruling coalition received about 37% of the vote in the June 2024 European elections. President Petr Pavel reiterated his appeal to join the euro area in 2024, highlighting the benefits for a nation that places a high priority on international trade with the EU. It is unlikely to join in the near future, though, as the government coalition is still split on the matter.
On the external side, the Czech Republic has been actively supporting Kyiv, welcoming refugees, and offering military and humanitarian assistance since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Czech government formally fulfilled its commitment to allocate 2% of GDP to defence in December 2024, matching NATO's baseline goal.
Main Political Parties

In Czechia, parties need at least 5% of the national vote to enter the Chamber of Deputies. Coalitions face higher thresholds: 8% for two parties and 11% for three or more. The Senate has no party threshold, as members are elected through a two-round majority system in single-member constituencies. The country's main political parties are:

Other parties include:

Executive Power
The President is the chief of state and is elected by direct public vote for a five-year term. The President has limited specific powers, the most important of which are to return enacted laws to the Parliament and to dissolve the Parliament under specific constitutionally outlined conditions. The President appoints the Prime Minister (typically the leader of the majority party or coalition in the Chamber of Deputies), as well as the Cabinet based on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is the head of the government and holds executive powers, including the right to choose governmental ministers. The Prime Minister is generally the head of the majority party or coalition in the Parliament and carries considerable political power.
Legislative Power
The legislature is bicameral. The Parliament consists of: the Senate (the upper house), its 81 members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms (with one-third of its members elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house) with its 200 members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. The executive branch is dependent on parliamentary support, as the government must maintain the confidence of the Chamber of Deputies to stay in power. The Prime Minister does not have the authority to dissolve Parliament; this power lies with the President, who can only dissolve the Chamber of Deputies under specific constitutionally defined circumstances.
 

Indicator of Freedom of the Press

Definition:

The world rankings, published annually, measures violations of press freedom worldwide. It reflects the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists, the media and digital citizens of each country and the means used by states to respect and uphold this freedom. Finally, a note and a position are assigned to each country. To compile this index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) prepared a questionnaire incorporating the main criteria (44 in total) to assess the situation of press freedom in a given country. This questionnaire was sent to partner organisations,150 RWB correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists. It includes every kind of direct attacks against journalists and digital citizens (murders, imprisonment, assault, threats, etc.) or against the media (censorship, confiscation, searches and harassment etc.).

World Rank:
40/180
 

Indicator of Political Freedom

Definition:

The Indicator of Political Freedom provides an annual evaluation of the state of freedom in a country as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions (on Electoral Process, Political Pluralism and Participation, Functioning of Government) and 15 civil liberties questions (on Freedom of Expression, Belief, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights). Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0 represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties present. The total score awarded to the political rights and civil liberties checklist determines the political rights and civil liberties rating. Each rating of 1 through 7, with 1 representing the highest and 7 the lowest level of freedom, corresponds to a range of total scores.

Ranking:
Free
Political Freedom:
1/7

Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House

 

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Latest Update: February 2025