The Chamber of Deputies, officially the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic (Czech: Poslanecká sněmovna Parlamentu České republiky), is the lower house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The chamber has 200 seats and deputies are elected for four-year terms using the party-list proportional representation system with the D'Hondt method. Since 2002, there are 14 constituencies, matching the Czech regions. A Cabinet is answerable to the Chamber of Deputies and the Prime Minister stays in office only as long as they retain the support of a majority of its members. The quorum is set by law to one third (67) of elected deputies. Any changes to the constitutional laws must be approved by at least 60 percent of the Chamber of Deputies. The seat of the Chamber of Deputies is the Thun Palace in Malá Strana, Prague.

Chamber of Deputies
of the Parliament of the Czech Republic

Poslanecká sněmovna
Parlamentu České republiky
9th Legislature
Type
Type
History
Founded1 January 1993
Leadership
Markéta Pekarová Adamová, TOP 09
since 10 November 2021
Deputy Presidents
List
Structure
Seats200
Political groups
Government (105)
  •   ODS (34)
  •   STAN (33)
  •   KDU-ČSL (23)
  •   TOP 09 (14)
  •   Independents (1)

Opposition (95)

Length of term
4 years
Elections
Party-list proportional representation
D'Hondt method
Last election
8–9 October 2021
Next election
On or before October 2025
Meeting place
Thun Palace in Malá Strana, Prague
Rules
Rules of Procedure of the Chamber of Deputies (English)

Electability and mandate

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Every citizen of the Czech Republic over 21 years old with the right to vote is eligible to be elected. The Deputy may not hold the office of Senator, President of the Czech Republic or judge, which also applies to certain positions specified by law. The office of the Deputy expires once:

  • a Deputy-elect refuses to take the oath or takes it with reservation
  • a Deputy's tenure expires
  • a Deputy resigns from the office
  • a Deputy loses eligibility to be elected
  • a Deputy takes up an office incompatible with serving as a Deputy.[1]
  • the Chamber of Deputies is dissolved

Dissolution

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After a dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies, new elections must be held within 60 days, and the Chamber of Deputies may not be dissolved less than three months before the end of its electoral term. The Chamber of Deputies can only be dissolved by the president under conditions specified by the constitution. The Chamber of Deputies is most commonly dissolved following two votes of no confidence in the cabinet. During a dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate has the authority to take legal measures in its place, if necessary.

Seat of the Chamber of Deputies

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The Chamber of Deputies resides in three building complexes in Malá Strana, Prague. The main building with the plenary chamber is the Thun Palace, built at the end of the 17th century. It was rebuilt at the start of the 19th century to house the Bohemian Diet. The current plenary chamber was built in 1861 for the reinstated Bohemian Diet after it was dissolved by the Austrian-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1849. The second building was the seat of the Governors of the Kingdom of Bohemia appointed by the emperor, located on Malá Strana Square. The last building complex includes the Smiřický Palace and Šternberk Palace at the opposite side of the square.

Past Chamber of Deputies election results

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8–9 October 2021 200 seats Fiala ANO ODS
KDU-ČSL
TOP 09
(government)
Piráti
STAN
(coalition)
SPD  
72 / 200
27.12%
 6 (-2.52%)
71 / 200
27.79%
 29 (+5.36%)
37 / 200
15.62%
 9 (-0.35%)
20 / 200
9.56%
 2 (-1.08%)
20–21 October 2017 200 seats Babiš I
Babiš II
ANO
(government)
ODS Piráti SPD KSČM ČSSD
(coalition)
KDU-ČSL TOP 09 STAN
78 / 200
29.64%
 31 (+10.98%)
25 / 200
11.32%
 9 (+3.59%)
22 / 200
10.79%
(new)
22 / 200
10.64%
(new)
15 / 200
7.76%
 18 (−7.15%)
15 / 200
7.27%
 35 (−13.09%)
10 / 200
5.80%
 4 (−0.98%)
7 / 200
5.31%
 19 (−6.69%)
6 / 200
5.18%
(new)
25–26 October 2013 200 seats Sobotka ČSSD
(government)
ANO
(coalition)
KSČM TOP 09 ODS Úsvit KDU-ČSL
(coalition)
 
50 / 200
20.46%
 6 (−1.62%)
47 / 200
18.66%
(new)
33 / 200
14.91%
 7 (+3.64%)
26 / 200
12.00%
 15 (−4.70%)
16 / 200
7.73%
 37 (−12.50%)
14 / 200
6.89%
(new)
14 / 200
6.78%
(returning)
28–29 May 2010 200 seats Nečas
Rusnok
ČSSD ODS
(government)
TOP 09
(coalition)
KSČM VV
(coalition)
 
56 / 200
22.08%
 18 (−10.24%)
53 / 200
20.22%
 28 (−15.16%)
41 / 200
16.70%
(new)
26 / 200
11.27%
 0 (−1.54%)
24 / 200
10.88%
(new)
2–3 June 2006 200 seats Topolánek I
Topolánek II
Fischer
ODS
(government)
ČSSD KSČM KDU-ČSL
(coalition)
SZ
(coalition)
 
81 / 200
35.38%
 23 (+10.91%)
74 / 200
32.32%
 4 (+2.12%)
26 / 200
12.81%
 15 (−5.7%)
13 / 200
7.23%
 9 (−7.04%)
6 / 200
6.29%
(new)
14–15 June 2002 200 seats Špidla
Gross
Paroubek
ČSSD
(government)
ODS KSČM KDU-ČSL
US-DEU
(coalition)
 
70 / 200
30.20%
 4 (−2.11%)
58 / 200
24.47%
 5 (−3.27%)
41 / 200
18.51%
 17 (+7.48%)
31 / 200
14.27%
 11 (+5.28%)
19–20 June 1998 200 seats Zeman ČSSD
(government)
ODS KSČM KDU-ČSL US-DEU  
74 / 200
32.31%
 13 (+5.87%)
63 / 200
27.74%
 5 (−1.88%)
24 / 200
11.03%
 2 (+0.7%)
20 / 200
8.99%
 2 (+0.91%)
19 / 200
8.60%
(new)
31 May
and
1 June 1996
200 seats Klaus II
Tošovský
ODS
(government)
ČSSD KSČM KDU-ČSL
(coalition)
SPR-RSČ ODA
(coalition)
 
68 / 200
29.62%
 8 (−0.11%)
61 / 200
26.44%
 45 (+19.91%)
22 / 200
10.33%
 13 (−3.72%)
18 / 200
8.08%
 3 (1.8%)
18 / 200
8.01%
 4 (+2.03%)
13 / 200
6.36%
 1 (+0.43%)

During this time the Chamber of Deputies was called the National Council.

5–6 June 1992 200 seats Klaus I ODS–KDS
(government)
KSČM ČSSD LSU KDU–ČSL
(coalition)
SPR–RSČ ODA
(coalition)
HSD-SMS
76 / 200
29.73%
(new)
35 / 200
14.05%
 2 (+0.81%)
16 / 200
6.53%
(new)
16 / 200
6.52%
(new)
15 / 200
6.28%
 5 (−2.14%)
14 / 200
5.98%
(new)
14 / 200
5.93%
(new)
14 / 200
5.87%
 9
8–9 June 1990 200 seats Pithart OF
(government)
KSČ HSD-SMS
(coalition)
KDU
(coalition)
 
124 / 200
49.50%
33 / 200
13.24%
23 / 200
10.03%
20 / 200
8.42%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Constitution of the Czech Republic". Office of the President of the Republic. Retrieved 27 June 2010.

Further reading

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  • Kolář, Petr, and Petr Valenta. The Parliament of the Czech Republic – the Chamber of Deputies. Prague : Published for the Office of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic by Ivan Král, 2009. ISBN 978-80-87324-01-1
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50°05′21″N 14°24′14″E / 50.08917°N 14.40389°E / 50.08917; 14.40389