Federal Assembly of Czechoslovakia (WFAC)

Chamber of Deputies of the; Federal Assembly of the Czechoslovak Federative Republic ; Czech: Senát federální shromáždění Československé federativní republiky; Slovak: Senát federálne zhromaždenie Československej federatívnej republiky
Type
Type	Upper house
Established	25 May 1946
Leadership
President of the ; Senate	Iveta Radičová, RS ; since 19 February 2020
Structure
Seats	150 Senators
Political groups	; RS (__); ČSSD (__); ČSNS (__); SZ (__); KSČ (__); ČSL (__); SĽS (__);
Elections
Voting system	First-past-the-post in single-member constituencies
Last election	2017
Next election	2021
Meeting place
	Federal Assembly; Švehlovo Náměstí; 118 00 Praha 7-Letná; Letná Hill, Prague

Chamber of Deputies of the; Federal Assembly of the Czechoslovak Federative Republic ; Czech: Poslanecká sněmovna federální shromáždění Československé federativní republiky; Slovak: Poslanecká snemovňa federálne zhromaždenie Československej federatívnej republiky
Type
Type	Lower house
Established	25 May 1946
Leadership
Speaker of the ; Chamber of Deputies	Jan Hamáček, ČSSD ; since 22 November 2017
Structure
Seats	300 Deputies
Political groups	Government (__) ČSSD (__); ČSNS (__); SZ (__); Supported by (__) KSČ (__); Opposition (__) RS (__); ČSL (__); SĽS (__);
Elections
Voting system	Party-list proportional representation; D'Hondt method
Last election	2017
Next election	2021
Meeting place
	Federal Assembly; Švehlovo Náměstí; 118 00 Praha 7-Letná; Letná Hill, Prague

Federal Assembly of the; Czechoslovak Federative Republic ; Czech: Federální shromáždění ČSFR; Slovak: Federálne zhromaždenie ČSFR
	Legislative body in Czechoslovakia
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	Senate; Chamber of Deputies
History
Established	25 May 1946
Preceded by	Constituent National Assembly
Leadership
President of the Senate	Iveta Radičová, RS ; since 20 January 2020
Speaker of the ; Chamber of Deputies	Jan Hamáček, ČSSD ; since 22 November 2017
Structure
Seats	450; 150 Senators; 300 Deputies
Elections
Senate voting system	First-past-the-post in single-member constituencies
Chamber of Deputies voting system	Party-list proportional representation; D'Hondt method
Meeting place
	Federal Assembly; Švehlovo Náměstí; 118 00 Praha 7-Letná; Letná Hill, Prague

The Federal Assembly (Czech: Federální shromáždění, Slovak: Federálne zhromaždenie) is the legislative body of Czechoslovakia, seated on Letná Hill, Prague.

History[]

The tradition of modern parliamentarianism in the Bohemian lands dates back to times of the Austrian Empire (and then Cisleithanian part of Austria-Hungary), where the Imperial Council (Reichsrat, Říšská rada) was created in 1861.

After proclamation of Czechoslovakia's independence on 28 October 1918 the Revolutionary National Assembly (Czech: Revoluční národní shromáždění, Slovak: Revolučné národné zhromaždenie), established on 14 November 1918, adopted key laws related to the establishment of an independent state and the constitution of the Czechoslovak Republic. With the new Constitution of 1920, the National Assembly (Czech: Národní shromáždění, Slovak: Národné zhromaždenie) was established as the new Czechoslovak parliament, undertaking legislative duties both of the Imperial Council and State Diets (Bohemian, Moravian, Silesian). It consisted of a Chamber of Deputies with 300 members (housed in the Rudolfinum) and a Senate with 150 members (housed in the Thun Palace).

On 2 October 1938, the National Assembly held its final session, during which it declared Czechoslovakia's readiness to defend itself against invading German forces. On 2 November 1938, President Edvard Beneš dissolved the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, which were then, according to plan, to resume their activity within two months after the end of the Second World War. During wartime, the Czechoslovak National Council (Československá národní rada) was established to represent the legislature as part of the Czechoslovak Government in Exile.

Following World War II, Czechoslovakia held elections for a Constituent National Assembly, which met for the first time on 28 October 1945. The most important act of the Constituent National Assembly was the adoption of the Federative Constitution of 1946. The main virtue of the constitutional charter was its moderation, largely achieved through the balancing of political forces which secured the support of representatives of the right and the left, which was supported by popular demand for immediate reform. On 11 March 1946 the National Assembly's constitutional committee submitted to it the draft constitution and bills for five constitutional laws. On 15 March, when the National Assembly began to debate the draft constitutional laws, a preamble to the constitution expressing the principles and ideals of its creators was adopted. On 24 March 1946 the constitution was unanimously approved by the National Assembly.

The drafting and adoption of the permanent federal constitution completed the task of the Constituent National Assembly, and was dissolved on 20 May 1946, and elections to the new Federal Assembly were held a few days later, on 25 May. The first meeting of the newly elected Federal Assembly (joint session of both houses) took place on 18-19 June 1946 in the Spanish Hall at Prague Castle.

After World War II, the Chamber of Deputies and Senate were housed in the Rudolfinum and the Thun Palace while the new Federal Assembly was completed on Letná Hill in 1955. The first session in the new building took place on 20 October 1955.

Constitutional powers[]

The structure and powers of the Federal Assembly, the method of its decision-making and the method of electing its members and the conditions of their mandate are stipulated in the Constitution of the Czechoslovakia of 1946.

The Federal Assembly:

has the right to modify the Constitution
ratifies international treaties
expresses confidence or no confidence in the government (Chamber of Deputies)
approves the state budget (Chamber of Deputies)
may set up a commission of inquiry to investigate matters of public interest (Chamber of Deputies)
decides on the declaration of a state of war in case of attack or fulfillment of international obligations and decides on the participation of Czechoslovakia in NATO
approves presence of foreign military forces in Czechoslovakia or a dispatch of Czechoslovak military forces abroad
agrees with the appointment of judges of the Constitutional Court (Senate)

Chamber of Deputies[]

The Chamber of Deputies, officially the Chamber of Deputies of the Federal Assembly (Czech: Poslanecká sněmovna federální shromáždění, Slovak: Poslanecká snemovňa federálne zhromaždenie), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly.

The members of the 300-seat house serve for four-year terms and are elected using the party-list proportional representation system.

Powers[]

The primary role of the Chamber of Deputies is to control the government and pass laws. The Members of Parliament (MPs) themselves have a legislative right of initiative (not an exclusive one). Laws are first passed by the Chamber of Deputies. After that, the bill is submitted to the Senate. If the Senate takes a negative position, it can be overruled by the Chamber of Deputies with an absolute majority of all MPs. The consent of both chambers is only required in particularly important situations. This area includes, in particular, the passing of constitutional laws, the electoral law, the election of the president (until 1968), the declaration of a state of war or the sending of troops abroad. The approval of the Chamber of Deputies is also required for some international treaties. Furthermore, the parliament proclaims the state of war in the event of an enemy attack or if international military alliance obligations have to be fulfilled.

The Chamber of Deputies controls the activities of the Government, the Prime Minister and of subsidiary executive bodies. Voting on confidence or non-confidence in the Government is thus one of the most important powers. Another aspect of the Chamber of Deputies' control of the Government are regular oral question periods and written interpellations (written questions put to Members of the Government), in which Deputies may ask ministers questions in connection with the exercise of their cabinet functions. Members of Government may be required to be present at meetings of bodies of the Chamber of Deputies (at committee meetings, for example). Deputies may also establish investigative commissions in order for certain matters to be investigated in an independent manner.

The Chamber of Deputies has power to:

discuss and adopt bills,
adopt, in conjunction with the Senate, the Electoral Act, the Act on the Principles of Mutual Collaboration and Communication between both Houses of the Parliament and of Collaboration and Communication between both Houses of the Parliament and Third Parties and the Act on the Rules of Procedure of the Senate,
adopt a resolution on the Act on the State Budget,
adopt a resolution on the Final State Account,
approve legal measures adopted by the Senate,
deliberate international treaties which require parliamentary approval and express such approval,
adopt a joint resolution with the Senate on the declaration of war,
authorize operations of foreign armed forces within the territory of Czechoslovakia (in conjunction with the Senate),
authorize operations of Czechoslovak armed forces outside the territory of Czechoslovakia (in conjunction with the Senate),
adopt a joint resolution with the Senate that the President of the Republic can no longer exercise his office for serious reasons,
supervise governmental activities, discuss confidence in government and take a vote on no-confidence in the government,
discuss the response of the government and its members to written interpellations of the Deputies included in the Chamber’s programme,
recommend the appointment and dismissal of the president and vice-president of the Supreme Audit Office to the President of the Republic,
elect and dismiss the members of the Supreme Audit Office,
elect and dismiss the president and vice-presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and specify the number of vice-presidents,
establish committees and specify the number of their members,
establish commissions and specify the number of their members,
establish commissions of inquiry and specify the number of their members,
approve the persons to chair individual committees after they have been elected by the committees,
elect the chairpersons of committees and propose the election of new chairpersons of committees if the committees do not elect their chairpersons themselves,
agree with the extradition of a Deputy for criminal proceedings,
ascertain the Deputies’ appeals against the results of disciplinary proceedings (Article 16) or against the decisions of the President of the Chamber of Deputies to impose disciplinary measures (Article 19, Section 2),
approve the principles applicable to the use of allowances granted to individual political groups in compliance with Article 78, Sections 2 and 4,
adopt resolutions on opinions concerning the acts and documents proposed by the European Communities and the European Union,
to approve the acquisition of assets by the Czechoslovak Consolidation Agency in return for payment proposed by the government if the amount of such payments exceeds CZK 1 billion in one calendar year.

Elections[]

Elections shall be held by secret ballot on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage, according to the principle of proportional representation. Every citizen of the Czechoslovak Republic who has reached the age of 18 and is not deprived of his or her right to vote has the right to vote. Every citizen over the age of 21 with the right to vote has the right to be elected.

Details are set by the electoral law. It does not have the rigidity of constitutional law and it is therefore possible to change it almost like ordinary law. The only difference in the legislative process is the condition that both chambers of the Federal Assembly must agree to it. In the case of the electoral law, the Chamber of Deputies cannot override the Senate's negative opinion. Nevertheless, changes to the electoral law are frequent.

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 a electoral threshold at 4% threshold for single parties and 8% threshold for coalitions (requirements waived for national minorities). 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.

Current standing[]

Standings in the 20th Chamber of Deputies
Affiliation			Deputies
Affiliation			Results of the 2017 election	As of 9 April 2024	Change
Parliamentary clubs
	Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party				▬
	Republican Party				▼ 1
	Free Democrats				▬
	ČSL/SĽS	Czechoslovak People's Party			▬
	ČSL/SĽS	Slovak People's Party			▬
	Liberal Democratic Party				▬
	Communist Party of Czechoslovakia				▬
	Green Party				▬
	Czechoslovak National Social Party				▬
Non-inscrits/Independents
	Independents		—	1	▲ 1
National minorities
	Sudeten German People's Party		4	4	▬
	Party of the Hungarian Community		4	4	▬
Total members			300	300	▬
	Vacant		—	0	▬
Total Seats			300

Dissolution[]

Article 35 of the Constitution foresees four situations in which the President is given the possibility to dissolve the Chamber of Deputies. The possible fulfilling of one of the four situations still does not mean automatic dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies, since the Constitution in the situation of a similar crisis leaves it up to the discretion ofthe President whether to take action or not

the Chamber of Deputies fails to vote confidence in a newly appointed Government the Prime Minister whereof was appointed by the President on the proposal of the Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies;
the Chamber of Deputies has not decided on a Government Bill the consideration whereof the Government tied to the question of confidence;
the session of the Chamber of Deputies has been recessed for a longer than admissible term (120 days); and
the Chamber of Deputies has not had a quorum for a period longer than three months although its session was not recessed and although during the said period it had been repeatedly convened to meet.

During the dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate acquires the power to take legal measures in urgent matters.

When the Chamber of Deputies have been dissolved, the mandate of the elected deputies expire and new elections must be held within sixty days. However, the Chamber of Deputies cannot be dissolved three months before the end of its four-year term.

Organisation[]

Presidium[]

The presidium is chaired by the President of the Chamber of Deputies (Czech: Předseda Poslanecké sněmovny federální shromáždění, Slovak: Predseda Poslaneckej snemovne federálnej zhromaždenia), consisting of the president and four vice presidents.

Office	MP	Parliamentary club		Period in office
Office	MP	Parliamentary club		Assumed office	Left office
President	Jan Hamáček		ČSSD	2017	Incumbent
1st Vice President	Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová		RS	2017	Incumbent
Vice President	Radek Vondráček		ČSNS	2017	Incumbent
Vice President	Vojtěch Filip		KSČ	2017	Incumbent
Vice President	Tomio Okamura		SD	2017	Incumbent

Party groups[]

Standing committees[]

The members of the Chamber of Deputies are allocated into fourteen standing committees, of which thirteen are related to specific political topics. The last is the Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs. The standing committees have a portfolio that covers that of one or more government ministers.

Committee	Chair
Finance and Economic Affairs	[[Wikipedia:\|]]	ČSSD
Foreign Affairs	Ondřej Veselý	ČSSD
Defence	Jana Černochová	RS
European Affairs	Tomáš Valášek	SĽS
Business and Industry	[[Wikipedia:\|]]	RS
Education and Research	[[Wikipedia:\|]]	ČSNS
Energy and the Environment	[[Wikipedia:\|]]	SZ
Agriculture	[[Wikipedia:\|]]	ČSSD
Health and Care Services	[[Wikipedia:\|]]	KSČ
Justice	[[Wikipedia:\|]]	SD
Labour and Social Affairs	Jan Richter	ČSSD
Regional Development and Public Administration	[[Wikipedia:\|]]	ČSL
Constitutional and Legal Affairs	Marek Benda	RS
Transport and Communications	[[Wikipedia:\|]]	ČSSD

Economic Committee Radim Fiala SPD [16] Audit Committee Roman Kubicek YES [16] Credentials and Immunities Committee Stanislav Grospič KSČM [16] Organizing Committee Radek Vondracek YES [16] Committee on Petitions Helena Valkova YES [16] Committee on Budgets Miloslava Vostrá KSČM [16] Constitutional and Legal Committee Marek Benda ODS [16] Electoral Committee Stanislav Berkovec YES [16] Security Committee Radek Koten SPD [16] Committee on European Affairs Ondřej Benešík KDU-ČSL [16] Defense Committee Jana Černochová ODS [16] Social Policy Committee Radka Maxová YES [16] Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sports unelected - [16] Committee on Public Administration and Regional Development Ivan Bartoš Pirates [16] Committee on the Environment Dana Balcarová Pirates [16] Committee on Health Věra Adámková YES [16] Foreign Affairs Committee Ondřej Veselý CSSD [16] Committee on Agriculture Jaroslav Faltynek YES [16]

Speakers of the Chamber of Deputies[]

	Entered office	Left office	Legislature term	Political party	Notes
Jan Malypetr (1876–1947)	1946	1947 †	1	RS	Died in office.
Jozef Lettrich (1905–1969)	1947	1950	1	RS
Stanislav Broj (1901–1980)	1950	1954	2	RS
Stanislav Broj (1901–1980)	1954	1958	3	RS
Oldřich John (1907–1961)	1958	1961	4	ČSSD
Ján Ursíny (1896–1972)	1961	1965	5	RS
Antonín Pospíšil (1903–1973)	1965	1969	6	ČSL
Bohumil Laušman (1903–1985)	1969	1972	7	ČSSD
Soňa Pennigerová (1928–)	1972	1976	8	ČSSD	First woman to hold the office.
Ivo Ducháček (1913–1988)	1976	1980	9	ČSL
Michal Chudík (1914–2005)	1980	1983	10	ČSSD
Věroslav Sláma (1930–2018)	1983	1991	11	RS
Věroslav Sláma (1930–2018)	1983	1991	12	RS
Ivan Gašparovič (1941–)	1991	1995	13	RS
Petra Buzková (1965–)	1995	1999	14	ČSSD
Ivan Langer (1967–)	1999	2002	15	RS
Lubomír Zaorálek (1956–)	2002	2006	16	ČSNS
Ľudovít Kaník (1965–)	2006	2010	17	RS
Miroslava Němcová (1952–)	2010	2013	18	RS
Jan Hamáček (1978–)	2013	2017	19	ČSSD
Jan Hamáček (1978–)	2017	Incumbent	20	ČSSD

Senate[]

The Senate of the Federal Assembly (Czech: Senát Federálního shromáždění), usually referred to as Senate, is the upper chamber of the Federal Assembly.

Structure[]

The Senate is composed of 150 senators (75 from each republic) who are elected for a term of four years in general election and chosen in one-seat constituencies. A candidate for the Senate does not need to be on a political party's ticket (unlike in the Chamber of Deputies).