Political System

The Czech Republic has a democratic system of government based on parliamentary democracy and free competition among political parties. Every citizen, upon reaching the age of 18, has the right to vote. The President of the Czech Republic is the formal head of state; he is also Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is elected by Parliament for a term of five years at a joint meeting of the lower and upper houses. The current President of the Czech Republic is Petr Pavel.

The Czech Republic's supreme legislative body is Parliament, which consists of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the legislature, and the Senate, the upper house. The House of Deputies is made up of 200 Deputies elected on party tickets by secret ballot based on proportional representation for four-year terms. The Senate is comprised of 81 senators elected in individual electoral districts for six-year terms using a majority-wins system. To be elected to the House of Deputies, a candidate must be at least 21 years of age; for the Senate, the minimum required age is 40. Legal age to vote is 18.

The supreme executive body is the Government. It is led by the Prime Minister and appointed by the President of the Republic. The President also appoints other Government members - deputy ministers and ministers based on the Prime Minister's recommendations. Before it is instated, the Government must win a vote of confidence in the House of Deputies.

The independent Constitutional Court is the highest judiciary body in the Czech Republic. The President appoints its head and its judges, as well as judges of other courts. The Czech National Bank, entrusted with the stability of the currency, is independent and self-governing. The President, however, appoints its chairman and governors.

The local government in the Czech Republic has two layers: 14 regions (NUTS 3) and 6 234 municipalities. These are self-administred units; people elect their representatives for regional and municipal representations.