party - NA; seats by
party - CSSD 23, ODS 25, KDU-CSL 16, KCSM 4, ODA 7, US 4, DEU 1,
independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - CSSD 74, ODS 63, KDU-CSL 20, US 19, KCSM 24

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chairman and deputy chairmen are
appointed by the president for life; Constitutional Court, chairman
and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for life

Political parties and leaders: Assembly for the Republic or SPR-RSC
; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak
People's Party or KDU-CSL ; Civic Democratic
Alliance or ODA ; Civic Democratic Party or
ODS ; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
or KSCM ; Czech Social Democrats or
CSSD ; Democratic Union or DEU [Ratibor
MAJZLIK, chairman]; Freedom Union or US [Karel KUEHUL, acting
chairman]; Quad Coalition (includes KDU-CSL,
US, ODA, DEU)

Political pressure groups and leaders: "Thanks, Now Go"; Impulse 99;
Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alexsandr VONDRA
chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 363-6315
FAX: (202) 966-8540
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John SHATTUCK
embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: (2) 5753-0663
FAX: (2) 5753-0583

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red
with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (almost
identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)

@Czech Republic:Economy

Economy - overview: Political and financial crises in 1997 shattered
the Czech Republic's image as one of the most stable and prosperous of
post-Communist states. Delays in enterprise restructuring and failure
to develop a well-functioning capital market played major roles in
Czech economic troubles, which culminated in a currency crisis in May.
The currency was forced out of its flu