Politics

Politically, the Czech Republic is a multi-party parliamentary representative democratic republic. According to the Constitution of the Czech Republic, President is the head of state while the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising supreme executive power. Legislature is bicameral, with the Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecká snemovna) and the Senate (Senát).

Executive Branch

The President of the Czech Republic is elected by joint session of the parliament for five-year term (no more than two consecutive). The president is a formal head of state with limited specific powers, most importantly to return laws to the parliament, nominate Constitutional Court judges for Senate's approval, and dissolve the parliament under certain special and rare conditions. They also appoints the prime minister as well the other members of the cabinet on a proposal by the prime minister.

The Prime Minister is the head of government and wields considerable powers, including the right to set the agenda for most foreign and domestic policy, mobilise the parliamentary majority, and choose governmental ministers.

Legislative Branch

The Parliament (Parlament Ceské republiky) has two chambers. The Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecká snemovna) has 200 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation with a 5 % election threshold. After the split of the former Czechoslovakia, the powers and responsibilities of the now defunct federal parliament were transferred to the Czech National Council, renamed to the Chamber of Deputies. Chamber delegates are elected in June for 4-year terms on the basis of proportional representation with 5% election threshold. There are 14 voting districts identical to the country's administrative regions.

The Senate (Senát) has 81 members, in single-seat constituencies elected by two-round runoff voting for a six-year term, with one third renewed every even year in the autumn. The first election was 1996 (for differing terms). This is patterned after the US Senate but each constituency is of (roughly) same size and the system used is two-round runoff voting. The Senate is unpopular among the public and suffers from low election turnout (overall roughly 30% in the first round, 20% in the second).

Judicial Branch

The country's highest court of appeals is the Supreme Court. The Constitutional Court, which rules on constitutional issues, is appointed by the president with Senate approval, and its 15 members serve 10-year terms.

Military

The Czech Armed Forces (Czech: Armáda Ceské republiky) consists of Land and Air Forces and of specialised support units. In 2004, the Czech military completely phased out conscription and transformed into a fully professional military force. The country has been a member of NATO since March 12, 1999. Military spending in 2006 was approximately 1.8% of GDP.