Freedom in the World 2005 - Czech Republic

Political Rights: 1
Civil Liberties: 1
Status: Free
Population: 10,200,000
GNI/Capita: $5,480
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 (3.5 other)
Capital: Prague

Ratings Change
The Czech Republic's civil liberties rating improved from 2 to 1 due to the deepening of EU integration trends, resulting in greater conformity with EU human rights standards.

Overview

On May 1, 2004, the Czech Republic joined the European Union (EU), fulfilling a long-standing goal. However, like most incumbent parties of countries in the EU, the main party in the coalition government suffered badly in the June elections to the European Parliament. The result was the replacement of the prime minister, Vladimir Spidla, by his deputy, Stanislav Gross.

Czechoslovakia was created in 1918 following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Soviet troops helped establish the Communist People's Party of Czechoslovakia in 1948, renamed the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in 1960. In 1968, Soviet tanks crushed the so-called Prague Spring led by reformist leader Alexander Dubcek.

In December 1989, an anti-Communist opposition led by dissident Vaclav Havel and the Civic Forum brought down the Czechoslovak government. The country's first post-Communist elections were held the following year. 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 Vaclav 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 peacefully 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 the ODS managed to negotiate control of key government positions. This so-called opposition agreement between the CSSD and the 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 Spidla, the party's chairman, 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, a single vote more than the 141 needed from the 281-member joint parliamentary session. In March, Spidla's cabinet asked the Chamber of Deputies for a vote of confidence, which it received.

In May 2004, the Czech Republic joined the EU, fulfilling one of the government's most important goals. This had required years of work to reach tough EU standards, such as the creation of a stable market economy, a consolidated democracy, a cleaner environment, and the protection of minority rights, and most Czechs took pride in "returning" to Europe's mainstream after the communist era. The Czech Republic was one of the richest countries from Central Europe to join the EU in 2004.

In the country's first elections for the European Parliament, the government was soundly trounced: the CSSD took just 9 percent of the vote. The unreformed Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia surged to 20 percent. The humiliated Spidla stepped down in favor of Gross, his deputy. Gross formed a new government including the same parties and many key figures from the old one. Despite their strong results, the Communists were shut out of government again. Gross's government has a bare majority and will struggle to pass his ambitious agenda of pension and health care reform, as well as help for small and medium-sized businesses.

Although progress has been made in the Czech Republic toward establishing the mechanisms and institutions of a full market economy – and EU membership will help further with this – 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. The economy grew by 3.1 percent in 2003 and was forecast to do somewhat better in 2004. The Czech Republic is required by its EU membership to adopt the euro as its currency, and to do so it must bring down its budget deficit to the EU-mandated limit of 3 percent of gross domestic product, which the government has proposed to do by 2008.

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. The Czech Republic was ranked 51 out of 146 countries surveyed in the 2004 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index.

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 January, an editor for Respekt, a weekly newspaper known for its investigative work, was attacked, beaten, and sprayed with tear gas. Police closed the case without finding the perpetrators of the attack, which may have been connected to Respekt's investigations into criminal gangs in northern Bohemia.

The government generally respects freedom of religion. A 2002 law that provides for the registration and regulation of churches, including pay for clergy, has been criticized by the Roman Catholic Church as unduly restrictive of its activities. In 2003, the Church won a judgment against a government decision to deny registration to a Church-run medical center. The Catholic leadership continues to complain that the registration law makes its activities difficult. 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 function freely. 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 Vaclav 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, and 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 (Gypsies), 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. A number of anti-Semitic attacks were committed in 2003. Holocaust denial and inciting religious hatred are illegal.

Gender discrimination is legally prohibited. Nevertheless, sexual harassment in the workplace appears to be fairly common. In May 2003, the government amended a resolution setting priorities and procedures for enforcing gender equality in the workplace.