The Czech News Agency (CTK) informed that on February 8 the Czech Senate (the Upper chamber) voted for the direct presidential elections. In December 2011 the Camber of Deputies (the Lower chamber) had also supported this initiative. Now the Czech president is elected at the joint session of both chambers. This is how Vaclav Havel (1993-2003) and the current president Vaclav Klaus (since 2003) were elected.
The changes in the election procedure were discussed in the Senate for five hours. Overall 49 out of 75 senators present at the session voted for the direct elections; 45 votes were needed to adopt the decision. The amendments to the Czech legislation will come into force on October 1, 2012. Vaclav Klaus, the current president who previously called the introduction of the popular elections a fatal mistake cannot change anything. Unlike ordinary laws, the president cannot veto constitutional laws or amendments.
Klaus’s second presidential term will finish in 2013 and, according to the constitution, he cannot run for the third presidential term. Thus, the new Czech president will be elected at the popular vote.
The deputies who support the direct elections say that they promised to introduce them before the parliamentary election taking into account people’s opinion since they think that it will help prevent the excesses at the last presidential elections by the two chambers when Klaus won with an insignificant majority of votes.
Those who criticize the direct elections say that it gives nothing and it is enough to make the rules of the presidential elections by the parliament clearer.
The detailed rules have to be adopted before the direct presidential election that will happen next year. The government is already working on it. The legislation provides that the elections of the Czech president will happen in the same way that the senatorial elections and will have two rounds.
By the way, on the same day the Lower chamber voted for the limitation of deputies’ and judges’ immunity. Their immunity will be valid only during the period of time they fulfill their duties and not for life as it was until now. According to the observers, this decision will be adopted by the senate.
COMMENTARY
Yaroslav PESEK, Czech writer of political essays:
“Most of the electors wanted these changes to the Czech constitution. Since Czechoslovakia was founded we have had a tradition of electing the president by the parliament. Since the senate voted for the changes to the Constitution we have joined those 12 EU countries where the president is elected directly by the people. This is a great change of the Czech traditions. However, some minuses might occur. Some say that it is populism and deception since the president will be elected not by politicians but through a PR-campaign.
“I think our people should not be underestimated. People have their head. They are not as bad as deputies think them to be. People have to make difference between populists and strong personalities.
“Actually, president’s powers will not change with the direct elections since he does not and will not have any executive power. The president has to have the say-so, balance the governing coalition and the opposition, resolve various problems in the society in an ethic and moral way.
“There are several candidates now: current foreign minister Karl Shvartsenberg and former prime minister Jan Fischer who is very popular among the people. Some people from Fischer’s team were close to president Havel.”
