Freedom in the World 2004 - Czech Republic

Political Rights: 1
Civil Liberties: 2
Status: Free
Population: 10,200,000
GNI/Capita: $5,310
Life Expectancy: 75
Religious Groups: Roman Catholic (39.2 percent), Protestant (4.6 percent), other (57.2 percent)
Ethnic Groups: Czech (81.2 percent), Moravian (13.2 percent), Slovak (3.1 percent), other (2.5 other)
Capital: Prague

Overview

The year 2003 witnessed Vaclav Havel's passage from the Czech political scene after a decade of service as that country's president. Havel was succeeded in the February presidential poll by his political nemesis, Vaclav Klaus, who, along with Havel, has been one of the Czech Republic's two key political figures since the country's post-Soviet independence. With voters overwhelmingly supporting European Union (EU) membership in a June 2003 national referendum, the country is expected to formally join the EU in May 2004.

In December 1989, an anti-Communist opposition led by dissident Havel and the Civic Forum brought down the Czechoslovak government. The country's first post-Communist elections were held in 1990. In 1992, a new constitution and Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms were adopted, and the country began an ambitious program of political and economic reform under Finance Minister Klaus. A leading figure in the ruling center-right Civic Democratic Party (ODS), Klaus became prime minister the same year. In 1993, the state dissolved into the Czech and Slovak Republics and Havel became president of the new Czech Republic. In 1997, Klaus resigned amid allegations of corruption in the ODS.

Close parliamentary elections in 1998 brought about Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) control of the government, although ODS managed to negotiate control of key government positions. This so-called opposition agreement between CSSD and ODS drained meaningful political competition and brought about several years of political gridlock. The last parliamentary election to the Chamber of Deputies (lower house) was held in June 2002, and a by-election to the Senate (upper house) took place in November 2002. The CSSD secured the most votes and the party's chairman, Vlad Spidla, became the new prime minister.

In the February 2003 presidential poll, Klaus was elected on the third round of voting following two inconclusive ballots. Klaus obtained 142 votes, one more than the 141 needed from the 281-member joint parliamentary session. In March, Prime Minister Spidla's cabinet asked the Chamber of Deputies for a vote of confidence, which it received by holding the votes of deputies from the governing coalition. The ruling three-party, CSSD-led coalition government has the support of the thinnest possible legislative majority, 101 of the 200 seats. The governing coalition's tenuous hold on power was underscored when in July 2003 MP Josef Hojdar left the CSSD's parliamentary faction in protest of the government's proposed fiscal measures (though he did not leave the CSSD itself).

Having joined NATO in 1999, the Czech Republic moved closer in 2003 to achieving the second of its key strategic objectives, membership in the EU. With more than three-quarters of the vote cast in favor of membership in a June 2003 national referendum, the Czech Republic is expected to formally join the EU in May 2004. As Czechs are now exchanging the "post-Soviet" label in favor of a "pre-EU" one, political parties are preparing for their first ever European Parliament elections in June 2004, following formal accession into the EU. The Czech Republic will be allotted 24 seats in the European Parliament.

Although significant progress has been made in the Czech Republic toward establishing the mechanisms and institutions of a full market economy, the economic sector requires further reform. A substantial part of state-owned property was privatized during the early to middle 1990s on the basis of a "voucher" program, under which Czech citizens were permitted to buy vouchers entitling them to bid for shares in selected companies. Power stations, oil and gas networks, banks, and the social and pension insurance sectors were among the strategic holdings exempt from the privatization program. Greater strides were made after 1999, when the government initiated an effort to revitalize Czech industry that sought to prepare public enterprises for privatization through internal reform and debt restructuring. Prime Minister Spidla has set forth a package of fiscal reform measures with a goal of overhauling public finances and has threatened to resign if parliament does not approve this reform package.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Czech citizens can change their government democratically. Since shedding the Soviet yoke more than a decade ago, the Czech Republic has had a sound record of free and fair elections. Voters elect members of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, which comprise the National Assembly. The Chamber of Deputies (lower house), has 200 members who are elected for four years, and the Senate (upper house) has 81 members, elected for six years with one third of the senators being replaced every two years. The president, elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (with a maximum of two subsequent terms), appoints judges, the prime minister, and other cabinet members.

The Czech Republic continues to confront some difficult remnants of the Soviet legacy, including significant corruption that affects many sectors of Czech society. In the 2003 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, the Czech Republic was ranked 54 out of 133 countries.

Freedom of expression is honored in the Czech Republic, although the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms prohibits threats against individual rights, state and public security, public health, and morality. Libel can be prosecuted as a criminal offense. The country's print and electronic media are largely in private hands. In 2000, the Law on Free Access to Information took effect, and the National Assembly amended broadcasting laws to meet EU standards. In 2001, the assembly passed an important bill designed to limit political influence over Czech Television (CT), the state broadcaster. Passage of the legislation helped end a standoff at CT between journalists and management. Under this law, nongovernmental groups, rather than politicians, make nominations for membership to CT's governing council, the body that controls the selection of CT's director. In July 2003, a Czech court convicted the former secretary general of the Foreign Ministry, Karel Srba, of conspiring to murder an investigative reporter for the Czech daily newspaper Mlada Fronta Dnes.

The government generally respects freedom of religion. However, in 2001, President Vaclav Havel vetoed a law on churches that he believed would limit the ability of religious groups to engage in charitable activities. When the Chamber of Deputies overrode the veto in mid-December, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk suggested that the Czech Catholic Church might challenge the law before the constitutional court. Academic freedom is widely respected in the Czech Republic.

Czech citizens may assemble peacefully, form associations, and petition the government. Trade unions and professional associations are free. Judges, prosecutors, and members of the armed forces and police may not strike. In 2003, the government's proposed fiscal reform measures generated considerable opposition from the country's trade unions, including a major one-day strike in September by the teacher's union, in which more than 70,000 teachers reportedly took part.

The Czech Republic's independent judiciary consists of a supreme court, a supreme administrative court, and high, regional, and district courts. There is also a constitutional court. In December 2001, President Havel signed a bill on judicial reform but suggested he might challenge aspects of the law, which he expected to "more widely and consistently separate judicial and executive power."

Property ownership, choice of residence, and fair wages are legally protected. Citizens generally enjoy all of these rights.

The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms gives minorities the right to help resolve matters pertaining to their group. A 1999 law restored citizenship to many residents, including Roma, who continue to experience discrimination. In 2001, the National Assembly approved legislation for the protection of ethnic minority rights. The law's provisions include the creation of a governmental minority council.

Gender discrimination is legally prohibited. Sexual harassment in the workplace appears to be fairly common. In May, the government amended a resolution setting priorities and procedures for enforcing gender equality in the workplace.