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Senate of the Czech Republic

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The Senate (Czech: Senát Parlamentu České republiky, lit. 'Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic') is the upper house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The seat of the Senate is Wallenstein Palace in Prague.

Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic

Senát Parlamentu České republiky
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
History
Founded18 December 1996
Leadership
Miloš Vystrčil, ODS
since 19 February 2020
Vice-President
Jiří Drahoš, STAN
since 2 November 2022
 
Jitka Seitlová, KDU-ČSL
since 11 November 2020
 
Tomáš Czernin, TOP 09
since 2 November 2022
 
Jiří Oberfalzer, ODS
since 14 November 2018
Structure
Seats81
Political groups
Government Support (59)
  •   ODS and TOP 09 (29)[c]

Opposition (21)

[k]

Committees10 Committees
Elections
Two-round system
Staggered elections
Last election
20-21 September and 27-28 September 2024
Meeting place
Wallenstein Palace, Prague
Website
www.senat.cz/index.php

Structure

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Wallenstein Palace in Prague, the main building of the Senate.

The Senate has 81 members, chosen in single-seat constituencies through the two-round system. If no candidate receives a majority of votes in the first round, there is a second round between the two highest-placed candidates. The term of office for Senators is six years, and elections are staggered so that a third of the seats are up for election every two years. A candidate for the Senate does not need to be on a political party's ticket (unlike in the Chamber of Deputies).

The Senate has one President and four Vice-presidents.[1] Its members participate in specialised committees and commissions.[2][3] The Senate Chancellery has been created to provide professional, organisational and technical services. The Senate occupies several historical palaces in centre of Prague, in Malá Strana quarter. In 2005 its budget was 561.2 million CZK.

Powers

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The Senate can delay a proposed law which was approved by the Chamber of Deputies but this veto can be overridden by a majority (i.e. at least 101 of all 200 members) of the Chamber of Deputies in a repeated vote. If the Senate proposes amendments, Chamber of deputies may approve it with a simple majority or override it with absolute majority. The Senate, however, cannot be overridden when it votes on electoral law, constitutional law and on international treaties.

The Senate decides on confirmation of judges of the Constitutional Court, proposed by the President. It often uses this power to block unacceptable nominants and may propose new laws. However, the Senate does not get to vote on the country's budget or on confidence in the government, unlike the Chamber of Deputies.

The President of the Senate is the second-highest official of the Czech Republic for ceremonial purposes, after the President of the Republic, but without much real political power.

History

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Polling station of the electoral district no. 70 in Olomouc during Czech Senate elections and the regional elections held in the Czech Republic on 7 October 2016

The Senate was established in constitutional law of the Czech National Council (ČNR) No. 1/1993 on 16 December 1992.[4] The immediate reason for its creation was a need to find a place for members of the Federal Assembly, dissolved together with Czechoslovakia. Other reasons given were the positioning of the Senate as a safety device ("pojistka") correcting laws endorsed by lower chamber and as a power balancing tool against the dominance of a single party, especially regarding constitution and electoral law. Due to opposition by the Civic Democratic Alliance (who had members in the Czech National Council, which became the Chamber of Deputies under the new Constitution, but not in the Federal Assembly) and those politicians fearing dilution of power the Senate was not set up. The first elections were held in 1996, with voter turnout around 35% (much lower than turnout for the lower chamber). Further elections were held in accordance with the Constitution every two years after that.

The Senate has received criticism[by whom?] for being essentially powerless and unnecessary for a country of the size of the Czech Republic. However, the likely most prominent critic of Czech Senate, former prime minister Andrej Babiš, has expressed his plan to change the electoral into Chamber of Deputies into First-past-the-post voting, something that cannot be done without consent of the Senate, plus the Czech Constitution prohibits such system for lower chamber.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Tomáš Goláň was elected as non-partisan, nominated by SEN 21, shortly after the election he defected to and became a member of ODS.
  2. ^ Jaroslav Chalupský is non-partisan, nominated by Svobodní.
  3. ^
  4. ^ Hana Žáková, Miroslav Balatka, Miroslav Plevný, Jan Sobotka, Pavel Karník, Helena Pešatová, and Karel Zitterbart are non-partisans, nominated by STAN.
  5. ^ David Smoljak is a member of STAN, nominated by a coalition of STAN, Pirates and TOP 09.
  6. ^ Jiří Vosecký is a member of SLK, nominated by STAN and SLK.
  7. ^ Zdeněk Linhart is non-partisan, nominated by STAN and SLK.
  8. ^
  9. ^ Miluše Horská, Josef Klement, and Lumír Kantor are non-partisans, nominated by KDU-ČSL.
  10. ^
  11. ^
  12. ^
  13. ^

References

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  1. ^ Senators Senate website
  2. ^ Senate Committees Senat website
  3. ^ Senate Commissions Senate website
  4. ^ Ústavní zmìny v dobì od pádu komunismu Bulletin Scientia Politica (in Czech)
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  • Official website
  • Kysela, Jan (n.d.). "Bicameralism in the Czech Republic: Reasons, Functions, Perspectives". Retrieved 9 October 2021.

50°05′24″N 14°24′19″E / 50.09000°N 14.40528°E / 50.09000; 14.40528

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