(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The opposition Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) continues to gain support in the European country, according to a poll by Median. 37 per cent of respondents would vote for the Social Democrats in the next legislative election, down 1.7 points since early December.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The opposition Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) continues to gain support in the European country, according to a poll by Median. 37 per cent of respondents would vote for the Social Democrats in the next legislative election, down 1.7 points since early December.
The governing Civic Democratic Party (ODS) is second with 28.2 per cent—down 3.2 points—followed by the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) with 16.6 per cent, the Christian and Democratic Union – Czech People’s Party (KDU-CSL) with 6.9 per cent, and the Green Party (SZ) with 5.9 per cent.
In early June 2006, Czech voters renewed the Chamber of Representatives. Final results gave the ODS 35.58 per cent of all cast ballots, followed by the CSSD with 32.32 per cent. Czech parties require at least five per cent of the vote to earn seats under the country’s proportional representation system. The final tallies gave the ODS, the KDU-CSL and the SZ 100 seats in the lower house, with the remaining 100 seats going to the CSSD and the KSCM.
The tie among rival factions led to a long political stalemate. In January 2007, Czech president Vaclav Klaus re-appointed ODS leader Mirek Topolanek as prime minister. Topolanek’s government eventually won a confidence motion in the Chamber of Representatives after a 100-97 vote.
In the Czech Republic, the president is elected by Parliament to a five-year term. The Czech president can return bills to lawmakers and grant pardons to convicted criminals, and also serves as the commander in chief of the armed forces. According to existing regulations, Czech heads of state can serve for a maximum of two consecutive five-year terms.
Last month, CSSD chairman Jiri Paroubek called for an amendment to allow for the direct election of the president, saying, "If there were the public vote, I would be for it without consulting the Social Democrats about it. It would be transparent, clear and I think it would benefit the nation. (…) I think that behind-the-scenes information on some gentlemen running around with plastic bags full of money would simply vanish."
Polling Data
What party list would you vote for in the next parliamentary election?
|
Dec. 16 |
Dec. 1 |
Nov. 2007 |
|
|
Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) |
37.0% |
35.3% |
36.1% |
|
Civic Democratic Party (ODS) |
28.2% |
31.4% |
28.6% |
|
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) |
16.6% |
14.2% |
15.1% |
|
Christian and Democratic Union – |
6.9% |
7.6% |
6.0% |
|
Green Party (SZ) |
5.9% |
4.4% |
6.4% |
Source: Median
Methodology: Interviews with 1,241 Czech adults, conducted from Nov. 27 to Dec. 16, 2007. No margin of error was provided.
