Prague City Hall top prize in local elections

Voters across the country take to the polls Oct. 15-16 in local and senate elections.

Votes for city assemblies are particularly closely watched as they may prove an early referendum on the policies of Prime Minister Petr Nečas' government.

The opposition Social Democrats (ČSSD) are seeking to portray the budget austerity measures touted by the center-right parties as socially irresponsible. Nečas' Civic Democrats (ODS) will seek to maintain their position as the country's most important right-leaning party, while two center-right relative newcomers, TOP 09 and Public Affairs (VV) will seek to gain on their surprising showings in May's general election.  

In Prague, two parties from Nečas' governing coalition - TOP 09 and ODS - will battle for control of City Hall. The ODS has dominated politics in the capital for the better part of two decades, but lost the city to TOP 09 in the general election.

As political analyst Bohumil Doležal notes, the two parties are competing for many of the same voters, and this election could preview increased tensions to follow.

"The ODS is convinced that TOP 09 is its main political rival, and it needs to be weakened as much as possible," Doležal says.

Voters elect city assembly members, from which a leadership council is chosen. The assembly elects the mayor, who most often comes from the political party that holds the most seats in the assembly. The setup is similar to the Parliament-Cabinet-prime minister structure at the national level.

In addition, voters in Prague will determine separate mayors and assemblies for each local municipality. Prague 5 will have its own leadership, for example, in addition to officials who will oversee operations for the city as a whole.

European Union citizens who hold permanent residency in the Czech Republic are eligible to vote in local elections.

The Senate election holds considerably less intrigue, because of the limited powers of Parliament's upper house. Senators are elected for six-year terms with one-third of the seats up for grabs every two years. The Senate can delay the approval of any law approved by the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house), but this can be overruled by a simple deputy majority. The Senate takes part in the election of the president and in the appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court.

Benjamin Cunningham can be reached at
bcunningham@praguepost.com