At stake in this election:

• 27 seats in the Senate (Senat).

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Vaclav HAVEL
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Milos ZEMAN
• Assembly: Czech Republic has a bicameral Parliament (Parlament) consisting of the Senate (Senat) with 81 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecka Snemovna) with 200 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by parliament to serve a 5-year term.
• In the Senate (Senat) 81 members are elected by popular vote to serve 6-year terms*. In the Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecka Snemovna) 200 members are elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms.

* One third of the Senate is renewable every two years.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD)
  • Leader: Vladmir SPIDLA
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 11
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 15
• Party: Civic Democratic Party (ODS)
  • Leader: Vaclav KLAUS
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 26
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 22
• Party: Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM)
  • Leader: Miroslav GREBENICEK
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 3
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 3
• Party: Freedom Union-Democratic Union (US-DEU) and Christian and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL)
  • Leader: Hana MARVANOVA
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 15
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 19
• Party: Other Parties
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 26
  • Seats won in last Senate election: N/A

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections were last held June 19-20, 1998.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 10,196,916 (2002)
• Registered Voters: 8,262,484 (June 2002 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 5,237,313 (2002)

·         Is Czech Republic a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Czech Republic ratified CEDAW: Yes, succession (22 February 1993)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 34 (Chamber of Deputies); 10 (Senate) (following the 2002 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 28 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Czech Republic a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Czech Republic ratified CRPD: Yes (28 September 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 1,529,537 (est.)