vni
mesto); Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Karlovarsky Kraj,
Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj, Moravskoslezsky Kraj,
Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj, Plzensky Kraj, Praha (Prague)*,
Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj

Independence:
1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and
Slovakia)

National holiday:
Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)

Constitution:
ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993

Legal system:
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line
with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 9 January
2007), Deputy Prime Minister Petr NECAS (since 9 January 2007),
Deputy Prime Minister Jiri CUNEK (since 9 January 2007), Deputy
Prime Minister Martin BURSIK (since 9 January 2007), and Deputy
Prime Minister Alexandr VONDRA (since 9 January 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of
the prime minister
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); last successful election held 28
February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003
were inconclusive; next election to be held January 2008); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Vaclav KLAUS elected president on 28 February
2003; Vaclav KLAUS 142 votes, Jan SOKOL 124 votes (third round;
combined votes of both chambers of parliament)

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat
(81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of
Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 20-21 and 27-28 October
2006 (next to be held October 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held
2-3 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - ODS 41, CSSD 12, KDU-CSL 10, others 15, independents 2;
Chamber of Depu