At stake in this election:

• 27 seats in the Senate (Senat)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Vaclav KLAUS
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Vladimir SPIDLA
• 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*. In the Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecka Snemovna) 0 members are elected by popular vote.

* One-third of the Senate members are elected every two years.

Main parties in the Second Round of the electoral race:

• Party: Civic Democratic Party / Obcanska demokraticka strana (ODS)
  • Leader: Mirek TOPOLANEK
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 17
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 9
• Party: Christian Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party / Krestan a demokrat. unie - Ceskol. strana lidova (KDU-CSL)
  • Leader: Jiri CUNEK
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 3
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 1
• Party: Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia / Komunisticka strana Cech a Moravy (KSCM)
  • Leader: Vojtech FILIP
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 1
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 0
• Party: Czech Social Democratic Party / Ceska strana socialne demokraticka (CSSD)
  • Leader: Jiri PAROUBEK
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 7
• Party: Association of Independent Candidates - European Democrats / SNK Evropsti demokrate (SNK-ED)
  • Leader: Helmut DOHNALEK
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 1
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 2
• Party: Freedom Union - Democratic Union / Unie Svobody - demokraticka unie (US-DEU)
  • Leader: Jan CERNY
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 1
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 1
• Party: NEZAVISLI (NEZ)
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 1
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 3
• Independent(s): Others
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 2
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 3

Main parties in the First Round of the electoral race:

• Party: Civic Democratic Party / Obcanska demokraticka strana (ODS)
  • Leader: Mirek TOPOLANEK
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 1
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 9
• Party: Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia / Komunisticka strana Cech a Moravy (KSCM)
  • Leader: Vojtech FILIP
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 1
• Party: Christian Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party / Krestan a demokrat.unie - Ceskosl.strana lidova (KDU-CSL)
  • Leader: Miroslav KALOUSEK
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 1
• Party: Czech Social Democratic Party / Ceska strana socialne demokraticka (CSSD)
  • Leader: Bohuslav SOBOTKA
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 7
• Party: NEZAVISLI / (NEZ)
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 3
• Party: Union of Freedom - Democratic Union / Unie Svobody - demokraticka unie (US-DEU)
  • Leader: Jan CERNY
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 1
• Party: Association of Independent Candidates-European Democrats / SNK Evropsti demokrate (SNK ED)
  • Leader: Helmut DOHNALEK
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 2
• Party: Others
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 3

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 10,197,101 (2004)
• Registered Voters: 2,715,437 (October 2004 Number of registered voters in districts where 2004 senate elections are being held, one third of all districts nationally.)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 5,235,549 (2004)

·         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: 1,529,099 (est.)