1972 Czechoslovak federal election (WFAC)

Federal elections were held in Czechoslovakia on 14 October 1972. All 300 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and all 150 seats in the Chamber of Nations were up for election, with MPs elected by party-list proportional representation and all Senators elected by first-past-the-post voting.

This snap election was called by Prime Minister Alexander Dubček in order to allow the parliament to work on important upcoming topics without being distracted by a future election, especially referring to welfare and land reform.

Background
In the previous election, held in 1969, the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) defended their position as the largest party, winning 34.44% of the popular vote and 116 seats. The Social Democrats and the centre-left opposition had with a total of 160 seats, with a majority of nine seats. Following the election, Alexander Dubček formed a minority coalition cabinet comprising the Social Democrats and the Czechoslovak National Social Party, with the Communist Party, having pledged their support to Dubček before the election, providing parliamentary support. After having passed its investiture vote on 30 June Dubček's cabinet was sworn in on 4 July.

Political developments
Dubček's government oversaw the implementation of a broad range of social reforms, and matters concerned with health care, social security, eradication of disparities between Czechia and Slovakia, protection of the elderly, accident safety, and housing problems received special attention. Dubček implemented the majority of recommendations of the Federal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism via the Official Languages Act (Act No. 293/1969), which made Czech and Slovak the co-equal official languages of the federal government. A May 1970 criminal law reform (Act No. 138/1970) abolished the death penalty for all crimes and instituted a mandatory sentence of imprisonment for life.

Substantial increases were made in social security benefits such as injury and sickness benefits, pensions, unemployment benefits, housing allowances, basic subsistence aid allowances, and family allowances and living allowances. In 1969, the government expanded maternity benefits and maternity leave from 22 weeks to 26 weeks (Act No. 188/1969).

In education, the Dubček government sought to widen educational opportunities for all Czechoslovaks. The government presided over an increase in the number of teachers, generous public stipends were introduced for students to cover their living costs, and Czechoslovak universities were converted from elite schools into mass institutions. The Education Reform Act (Act No. 157/1971), passed the Chamber of Deputies with bipartisan support from the Czechoslovak and Slovak People's Parties, shortened the primary cycle (základní škola) from nine to eight years and standardized curricula within the secondary-school system for both gymnasias (gymnázia) and vocational schools (odborná škola). All textbooks and instructional material below the university level were free. Tuition was abolished for all public universities in 1971.

In the field of health care, various measures were introduced to improve the quality and availability of health care provision. A health insurance reform (Act No. 79/1970) extended compulsory health insurance to the self-employed, while including nonmedical psychotherapists and psychoanalysts in the national health insurance program (Federativní zdravotní pojišťovna, Federative Health Insurance Company). Preventative treatment was included along with changed to the income limit for compulsory sickness insurance, which now would be indexed to changes in the wage level. The right to medical cancer screening was also introduced. The People's Health Act (Act No. 220/1970) defined the obligations on federal and state levels, healthcare facilities and users of health services and the principle of health care. It made entitlement to hospital care legally binding (entitlements already enjoyed in practice), abolished time limits for hospital care, introduced entitlement to household assistance under specific conditions, and also introduced entitlement to leave of absence from work and cash benefits in the event of a child's illness. The law also secured the supply of hospitals and reduced the cost of hospital care, defined the financing of hospital investment as a public responsibility, single states to issue plans for hospital development, and the federal government to bear the cost of hospital investment covered in the plans, rates for hospital care thus based on running costs alone, hospitals to ensure that public subsidies together with insurance fund payments for patients cover total costs.

While Dubček's government enjoyed a majority with the support of the Communist Party, most important issues were decided through concessional agreement with the centre-right opposition, mainly the Republican Party and the christian democratic Czechoslovak People's Party and the Slovak People's Party. During his premiership Dubček was very popular among the left and centrists for his personal integrity and down-to-earth personality, but also engendered hostility from some conservatives organized business community. Dubček's skillful management of the country and his personal popularity had paid the Social Democrats dividends, as opinion polls during the entirety of the term showed the Social Democrats and the Government leading over the opposition.

Early election
By the summer of 1972 planners in the Dubček government were finalizing the proposals for a welfare reform and a land reform. While the ČSSD leadership assessed that government could convince welfare reform, passing the land reform in the Chamber of Deputies was considered more difficult. Not only was the right-wing opposition opposed to the reform, but the right wings of both the ČSSD and the ČSNS were sceptical to the proposal. The Republican leader,, announced on 8 July 1972 that he would refrain from participating in concessional agreements with the government until Dubček agreed to withdraw the plans for the land reform. There was also opposition among anti-communist members of the ČSSD and the ČSNS for Dubček's and Foreign Minister 's foreign policy doctrine towards the Soviet Union, which often seemed ambiguous or Soviet-friendly.

Over the summer the prime minister considered an autumn election that would enable the government to highlight the newly proposed welfare and land reforms. It would also be easier to negotiate the planned reforms with the centre-right opposition if the ČSSD had a renewed and strengthened mandate, as the polls showed that the Social Democrats were to make further gains. As a result, when the Federal Assembly convened on 7 August following the summer break Dubček called on the Chamber of Deputies to dissolve the assembly and call for new elections within 60 days. This, he argued, would allow the assembly to work on important upcoming topics without being distracted by a future election. Referring specifically to welfare and land reform, he said rival parties would then obstruct legislative work and negotiations.

A vote on dissolution of the Federal Assembly was scheduled to take place at 14:00 on 9 August. The parties who had stated their support for the motion (ČSSD, KSČ, ČSNS and ČSL/SĽS) together held more than the 60% majority (180 seats) required to pass the motion of dissolution, according to article 35(2) of the constitution. On 9 August, the Chamber of Deputies approved the motion of dissolution by 185 to 107, with a call for new elections within 60 days after presidential assent. President Svoboda gave his assent on 17 August, scheduling the elections for 14 October 1972.

Electoral system
The 300 members of the Chamber of Deputies were elected from 25 multi-member constituencies (each usually electing between five and 25 members) using open list proportional representation, in which they could give preferential votes for up to four candidates on their chosen list. Seats were allocated using the d'Hondt method, with an electoral threshold at 4% threshold for single parties and 8% threshold for coalitions (requirements waived for national minorities). The members of the Chamber of Nations were elected using first-past-the-post voting in 150 single-member districts; 75 in each republic. To be included on a ballot, a senate candidate had to present 2,000 signatures of support from their constituents. Should a party have 151 or more deputies in the Chamber of Deputies, it has an absolute majority and can thus govern autonomously, without the need for support from other parties. The constitution can be amended with a super majority of two-thirds, or 301 members of the Federal Assembly.

The Czechoslovak constitution states that elections to the Federal Assembly must be held every four years. Polling days in Czechoslovakia are Friday and Saturday, and voters could submit their ballots on either day. The exact date of the election was to be chosen by the President, who is obliged to call it at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the electoral term and ending on the day of its expiration. If the Chamber of Deputies were dissolved, elections should be held within 60 days of its dissolution. On 17 August, President Ludvík Svoboda gave his assent to dissolve the Federal Assembly and announced 14 October 1972 as election day.

During the legislature term, the Chamber of Deputies passed an electoral reform (Act. No. 94/1971), which reduced the two polling days on Fridays and Saturdays to a single polling day on saturdays.

Parties
The parties that had been elected to the Federal Assembly in the previous elections and still were represented had the right to participate in the federal elections - that is, they were automatically eligible for the election.

New parties wishing to participate in the election should send their application to the Minister of the Interior by 12:00 p.m. fifteen days before the election. Together with the application papers, the party had to submit a number of signatures corresponding at least to 1/300th of all valid votes cast at the last federal elections. In that election, 9,029,141 valid votes were cast, and a new party should therefore collect at least 30,097 signatures to become eligible for the election.

Campaign
The early election called by Dubček caught the centre-right opposition off guard.

The campaign was described as one of the most tense, frenzied and bitterly fought electoral campaign in the post-war period. n the tense campaign, the Republicans attacked Dubček as being too lenient towards the Soviet Union and having the wrong ideas on the economy. The ČSSD and ČSNS profited from the enormous personal popularity of the chancellor,

Chamber of Nations
'''Summary of the 14 October 1972 Chamber of Nations election results ! colspan="8" align="center" | !style="text-align:left" rowspan="2" colspan="2" width=395px | Parties !style="text-align:center" colspan="2" | Votes !style="text-align:center" colspan="2" | Seats !style="text-align:center" | Votes !style="text-align:center" | % !style="text-align:center" | Total !style="text-align:center" | ± !colspan="8" align="center"| Czechia ! 75 !colspan="8" align="center"| 🇸🇰 Slovakia ! 75 !colspan="8" align="center"| ! 150
 * - style="background-color:#E9E9E9"
 * - style="background-color:#E9E9E9"
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * style="background-color:#F0001C" width="1px"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party (ČSSD)
 * style="background-color:#008542" width="1px"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Republican Party (RS)
 * style="background-color:#ffe03e"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Czechoslovak People's Party (ČSL)
 * style="background-color:#F4C2C2"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Czechoslovak National Social Party (ČSNS)
 * style="background-color:#BF0202"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ)
 * style="background-color:#003399"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Liberal Democratic Party (LDS)
 * style="background-color:black"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Sudeten German People's Party (SDVP)
 * style="background-color:red"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Left Socialist Party (SSL)
 * style="background-color:#1A809A"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Freedom Party (SSV)
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Czech Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:#F4C2C2"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Czechoslovak National Social Party (ČSNS)
 * style="background-color:#BF0202"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ)
 * style="background-color:#003399"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Liberal Democratic Party (LDS)
 * style="background-color:black"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Sudeten German People's Party (SDVP)
 * style="background-color:red"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Left Socialist Party (SSL)
 * style="background-color:#1A809A"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Freedom Party (SSV)
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Czech Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:black"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Sudeten German People's Party (SDVP)
 * style="background-color:red"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Left Socialist Party (SSL)
 * style="background-color:#1A809A"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Freedom Party (SSV)
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Czech Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:red"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Left Socialist Party (SSL)
 * style="background-color:#1A809A"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Freedom Party (SSV)
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Czech Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:#1A809A"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Freedom Party (SSV)
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Czech Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Czech Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Czech Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Czech Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Czech Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Valid votes
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;" colspan="2" rowspan="5"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Blank or invalid votes
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Votes cast / turnout
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Abstentions
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Registered voters
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Votes cast / turnout
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Abstentions
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Registered voters
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Abstentions
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Registered voters
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Registered voters
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * style="background-color:#008542"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Republican Party (RS)
 * style="background-color:#F0001C"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party (ČSSD)
 * style="background-color:#5566CC"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Slovak People's Party (SĽS)
 * style="background-color:#BF0202"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ)
 * style="background-color:#F4C2C2"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Czechoslovak National Social Party (ČSNS)
 * style="background-color:#003399"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Liberal Democratic Party (LDS)
 * style="background-color:green"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Party of the Hungarian Community (SMK-MKP)
 * style="background-color:#253A79"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Slovak National Party (SNS)
 * style="background-color:red"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Left Socialist Party (SSL)
 * style="background-color:#1A809A"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Freedom Party (SSV)
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Slovak Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:#F4C2C2"|
 * style="text-align:left" | Czechoslovak National Social Party (ČSNS)
 * style="background-color:#003399"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Liberal Democratic Party (LDS)
 * style="background-color:green"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Party of the Hungarian Community (SMK-MKP)
 * style="background-color:#253A79"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Slovak National Party (SNS)
 * style="background-color:red"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Left Socialist Party (SSL)
 * style="background-color:#1A809A"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Freedom Party (SSV)
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Slovak Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:green"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Party of the Hungarian Community (SMK-MKP)
 * style="background-color:#253A79"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Slovak National Party (SNS)
 * style="background-color:red"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Left Socialist Party (SSL)
 * style="background-color:#1A809A"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Freedom Party (SSV)
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Slovak Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:red"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Left Socialist Party (SSL)
 * style="background-color:#1A809A"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Freedom Party (SSV)
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Slovak Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:#1A809A"|
 * style="text-align:left"| Freedom Party (SSV)
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Slovak Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Slovak Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * colspan="2" style="text-align:left"| Independents
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Slovak Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Slovak Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total in the Slovak Federative Republic
 * 100.00%
 * 100.00%
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Valid votes
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;" colspan="2" rowspan="5"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Blank or invalid votes
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Votes cast / turnout
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Abstentions
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Registered voters
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Votes cast / turnout
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Abstentions
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Registered voters
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Abstentions
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Registered voters
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Registered voters
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * - style="background-color:#AAAAAA"
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Total
 * 100.00%
 * 100.00%
 * 100.00%
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan="9"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Valid votes
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;" colspan="2" rowspan="5"|
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Blank or invalid votes
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Votes cast / turnout
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Abstentions
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Registered voters
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * }
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Votes cast / turnout
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Abstentions
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Registered voters
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * }
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Abstentions
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Registered voters
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * }
 * style="text-align:left" colspan="2" width=395px | Registered voters
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * }
 * style="background-color:#E9E9E9;"|
 * }
 * }