(next to be held by NA June 2002)
election results: 22, CSSD 15, ODA 7, US 4, KSCM 3, independents 2;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 32.3%, ODS 27.7%,
KSCM 11%, KDU-CSL 9.0%, US 8.6%; seats by party - CSSD 74, ODS 63,
KSCM 24, KDU-CSL 20, US 18, CSNS 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and
deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term

Political parties and leaders: Christian and Democratic
Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Cyril SVOBODA, chairman];
Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Michael ZANTOVSKY, chairman]; Civic
Democratic Party or ODS [Vaclav KLAUS, chairman]; Communist Party of
Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman]; Communist
Party of Czechoslovakia or KSC [Miroslav STEPAN, chairman]; Czech National
Social Party of CSNS [Jan SULA, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party
or CSSD [Milos ZEMAN, chairman]; Democratic Union or DEU [Ratibor MAJZLIK,
chairman]; Freedom Union or US [Hana MARVANOVA, chairman]; Quad Coalition
[Karel KUHNL, chairman] (includes KDU-CSL, US, ODA, DEU); Republicans
of Miroslav SLADEK or RMS [Miroslav SLADEK, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Czech-Moravian Confederation of
Trade Unions [Richard FALBR]

International organization participation: ACCT (observer), Australia
Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),
OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate), WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: Ambassador Martin PALOUS
consulate(s) general: 363-6315 chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street
NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Craig R. STAPLETON embassy: Trziste 15,
use embassy street address telephone:
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red
with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to
the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)

Economy Czech Republic

Economy - overview: Basically one of the most stable and prosperous of
the post-Communist states, the Czech Republic has been recovering from
recession since mid-1999. Growth in 2000-01 was led by exports to t