2006 Czech parliamentary election

2–3 June 2006
All 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies 101 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	64.42% (6.47pp)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Mirek Topolánek Jiří Paroubek Vojtěch Filip Party ODS ČSSD KSČM Last election 24.48%, 58 seats 30.21%, 70 seats 18.51%, 41 seats Seats won 81 74 26 Seat change 23 4 15 Popular vote 1,892,475 1,728,827 685,328 Percentage 35.38% 32.32% 12.81%   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Miroslav Kalousek Martin Bursík Party Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party SZ Last election 14.28%, 31 seats 2.37%, 0 seats Seats won 13 6 Seat change 18 6 Popular vote 386,706 336,487 Percentage 7.23% 6.29%
Result of election
Prime Minister before election Jiří Paroubek ČSSD Prime Minister after election Mirek Topolánek ODS

Parliamentary elections were held in the Czech Republic on 2 and 3 June 2006 to elect the members of the Chamber of Deputies.^[1]

A major scandal broke out a few days before the elections when a classified report by Jan Kubice, the head of the anti-organised crime unit, was leaked to the media, accusing the ruling Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) of corruption and interference in police investigations. The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the Social Democratic Party, the two largest parties, obtained their highest percentage of votes ever. Turnout increased from the previous parliamentary elections in 2002.

The elections produced an evenly balanced result. One potential coalition – the Civic Democratic Party, Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) and Greens – won exactly half of the 200 seats, while the Social Democratic Party and the Communists (KSČM) held the other half, meaning that either coalition would struggle to pass legislation.

Following the elections, 230 days passed without a new government being formed. Eventually, a coalition government formed of the Civic Democratic Party, KDU-ČSL and the Greens passed a confidence vote on 19 January 2007, when two Social Democrat deputies abstained.

Campaign

Several weeks before the elections, police officer Jan Kubice, head of the squad for investigating organised crime, suggested that senior figures from the police and the government were trying to cover up their cooperation with organised crime. He was summoned before a parliament commission a few days before the election where he presented a document; the contents of the document were leaked immediately.

The document suggested that former Prime Minister Stanislav Gross had connections with the criminal underground and hinted that Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek was indirectly involved in a murder, dealt with the mafia and was a pedophile. It also contained information about minor officials, some of whom had already been imprisoned for bribery.^[2][3]

Paroubek and the others denied these claims and accused the opposition Civic Democratic Party of trying to manufacture a scandal to help them in the elections. After the elections, Paroubek said that the allegations cost his party, the Social Democratic Party, victory and that democracy was in as much danger as in 1948, when the Communists seized power. He raised the possibility of challenging the election result, though this did not happen.^[4]

Electoral system

The Chamber of Deputies consists of 200 members elected for a four-year term. Seats were allocated by proportional representation between those lists that gained over 5% of the national total of valid votes cast.

Party lists were presented in 14 regions, with votes cast for a list, although voters were allowed up to two preference votes for candidates on that list.

The Czech Republic has a parliamentary system of government, with ministers being responsible to the Chamber of Deputies. The Chamber is the most powerful organ of the state with power to override vetoes by the President and the Senate.

Opinion polls

Results

The election produced a deadlock, leaving all the coalitions which were considered likely before the election (ODS-KDU-ČSL-Greens; ČSSD-KSČM; ČSSD-KDU-ČSL-Greens) with less than the 101 votes required to pass legislation or to pass a confidence vote for the new cabinet in the Chamber of Deputies (100, 100 and 93 votes, respectively). Remaining possibilities included a grand coalition of the Civic Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party, which would command a large majority, totalling 155 seats against 45; a minority cabinet of either of the 100-vote coalitions, which would have negotiate with the opposition to get the majority required for a confidence vote or to pass any legislation; or fresh elections.

On 26 June, the Civic Democratic Party, KDU-ČSL and the Greens announced that they had agreed on a coalition.

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Civic Democratic Party	1,892,475	35.38	81	+23
	Czech Social Democratic Party	1,728,827	32.32	74	+4
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	685,328	12.81	26	–15
	KDU-ČSL	386,706	7.23	13	–10
	Green Party	336,487	6.29	6	+6
	SNK European Democrats	111,724	2.09	0	0
	Independent Democrats	36,708	0.69	0	New
	Independents	33,030	0.62	0	New
	Party of Common Sense	24,828	0.46	0	0
	Right Bloc	20,382	0.38	0	0
	Freedom Union – Democratic Union	16,457	0.31	0	–8
	Law and Justice	12,756	0.24	0	New
	Moravané	12,552	0.23	0	New
	Equal Opportunities Party	10,879	0.20	0	New
	National Party	9,341	0.17	0	New
	Coalition for the Czech Republic (KAN–ČSNS–NS)	8,140	0.15	0	New
	Koruna Česká	7,293	0.14	0	New
	Balbín's Poetic Party	6,897	0.13	0	0
	4 VIZE	3,109	0.06	0	New
	Czech National Social Party	1,387	0.03	0	0
	Helax-Ostrava se bavi	1,375	0.03	0	New
	Humanist Party	857	0.02	0	New
	Folklore and Society	574	0.01	0	New
	Czech Right	395	0.01	0	0
	Liberal Reform Party	253	0.00	0	New
	National Unity	216	0.00	0	New
Total		5,348,976	100.00	200	0
Valid votes		5,348,976	99.64
Invalid/blank votes		19,519	0.36
Total votes		5,368,495	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		8,333,305	64.42
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

By region

Winning parties by region

Prague

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Civic Democratic Party	317,224	48.32	14
	Czech Social Democratic Party	152,962	23.30	6
	Green Party	60,384	9.20	2
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	51,925	7.91	2
	KDU-ČSL	31,820	4.85	1
	SNK European Democrats	23,386	3.56	0
	Other parties	18,794	2.86	0
Total		656,495	100.00	25

Central Bohemian Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Civic Democratic Party	243,012	39.19	10
	Czech Social Democratic Party	190,607	30.74	8
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	79,964	12.90	3
	Green Party	37,219	6.00	1
	KDU-ČSL	30,207	4.87	1
	SNK European Democrats	13,055	2.11	0
	Other parties	25,983	4.19	0
Total		620,047	100.00	23

South Bohemian Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Civic Democratic Party	123,804	36.69	6
	Czech Social Democratic Party	102,833	30.48	4
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	45,099	13.37	2
	KDU-ČSL	27,630	8.19	1
	Green Party	19,924	5.91	0
	Other parties	18,097	5.36	0
Total		337,387	100.00	13

Plzeň Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Civic Democratic Party	105,391	36.46	5
	Czech Social Democratic Party	91,606	31.69	4
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	40,578	14.04	2
	Green Party	17,090	5.91	0
	KDU-ČSL	16,338	5.65	0
	Other parties	18,046	6.24	0
Total		289,049	100.00	11

Karlovy Vary Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Civic Democratic Party	49,189	35.87	2
	Czech Social Democratic Party	44,887	32.74	2
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	20,323	14.82	1
	Green Party	9,206	6.71	0
	KDU-ČSL	4,723	3.44	0
	Other parties	8,789	6.41	0
Total		137,117	100.00	5

Ústí nad Labem Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Czech Social Democratic Party	132,895	35.46	6
	Civic Democratic Party	130,365	34.79	5
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	60,175	16.06	2
	Green Party	22,616	6.04	1
	KDU-ČSL	8,365	2.23	0
	Other parties	20,320	5.42	0
Total		374,736	100.00	14

Liberec Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Civic Democratic Party	83,647	38.81	4
	Czech Social Democratic Party	63,181	29.32	3
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	24,823	11.52	1
	Green Party	20,646	9.58	0
	KDU-ČSL	9,131	4.24	0
	Other parties	14,082	6.53	0
Total		215,510	100.00	8

Hradec Králové Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Civic Democratic Party	111,466	37.67	5
	Czech Social Democratic Party	89,204	30.14	4
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	34,093	11.52	1
	KDU-ČSL	19,893	6.72	1
	Green Party	19,819	6.70	0
	SNK European Democrats	9,126	3.08	0
	Other parties	12,330	4.17	0
Total		295,931	100.00	11

Pardubice Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Civic Democratic Party	91,113	33.26	4
	Czech Social Democratic Party	90,268	32.95	4
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	33,956	12.40	1
	KDU-ČSL	24,023	8.77	1
	Green Party	17,148	6.26	0
	SNK European Democrats	6,641	2.42	0
	Other parties	10,772	3.93	0
Total		273,921	100.00	10

Vysočina Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Czech Social Democratic Party	97,568	35.35	4
	Civic Democratic Party	76,393	27.68	3
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	40,480	14.67	2
	KDU-ČSL	33,587	12.17	1
	Green Party	13,514	4.90	0
	SNK European Democrats	5,525	2.00	0
	Other parties	8,930	3.24	0
Total		275,997	100.00	10

South Moravian Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Czech Social Democratic Party	200,619	32.95	8
	Civic Democratic Party	186,779	30.68	8
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	83,687	13.75	3
	KDU-ČSL	67,865	11.15	3
	Green Party	37,771	6.20	1
	Other parties	32,083	5.27	0
Total		608,804	100.00	23

Olomouc Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Czech Social Democratic Party	118,334	35.45	5
	Civic Democratic Party	101,151	30.30	4
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	49,026	14.69	2
	KDU-ČSL	27,609	8.27	1
	Green Party	18,398	5.51	0
	Other parties	19,331	5.79	0
Total		333,849	100.00	12

Zlín Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Czech Social Democratic Party	106,481	33.28	5
	Civic Democratic Party	101,376	31.69	4
	KDU-ČSL	41,663	13.02	2
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	35,998	11.25	1
	Green Party	16,224	5.07	0
	Other parties	18,191	5.69	0
Total		319,933	100.00	12

Moravian-Silesian Region

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Czech Social Democratic Party	247,382	40.54	11
	Civic Democratic Party	171,565	28.12	7
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	85,201	13.96	3
	KDU-ČSL	43,852	7.19	1
	Green Party	26,528	4.35	1
	Other parties	35,672	5.85	0
Total		610,200	100.00	23

References

External links

• Official election web site, English
• http://www.volby.cz – Official site with detailed results of all elections since 1994 in Czech and English (only for the later dates)
• Adam Carr's Election Archive
• Parties and elections