2006 Czech legislative election

Several weeks before the elections, police officer Jan Kubice, head of the squad for investigating organised crime, suggested that senior figures from the police and the government were trying to cover up their cooperation with organised crime. He was summoned before a parliament commission a few days before the election where he presented a document; the contents of the document were leaked immediately.

The document suggested that former Prime Minister Stanislav Gross had connections with the criminal underground and hinted that Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek was indirectly involved in a murder, dealt with the mafia and was a pedophile. It also contained information about minor officials, some of whom had already been imprisoned for bribery.[2][3]

Paroubek and the others denied these claims and accused the opposition Civic Democratic Party of trying to manufacture a scandal to help them in the elections. After the elections, Paroubek said that the allegations cost his party, the Social Democratic Party, victory and that democracy was in as much danger as in 1948, when the Communists seized power. He raised the possibility of challenging the election result, though this did not happen.[4]

The Chamber of Deputies consists of 200 members elected for a four-year term. Seats were allocated by proportional representation between those lists that gained over 5% of the national total of valid votes cast.

Party lists were presented in 14 regions, with votes cast for a list, although voters were allowed up to two preference votes for candidates on that list.

The Czech Republic has a parliamentary system of government, with ministers being responsible to the Chamber of Deputies. The Chamber is the most powerful organ of the state with power to override vetoes by the President and the Senate.

The election produced a deadlock, leaving the all the coalitions which were considered likely before the election (ODS-KDU-ČSL-Greens; ČSSD-KSČM; ČSSD-KDU-ČSL-Greens) with less than the 101 votes required to pass legislation or to pass a confidence vote for the new cabinet in the Chamber of Deputies (100, 100 and 93 votes, respectively). Remaining possibilities included a grand coalition of the Civic Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party, which would command a large majority, totalling 155 seats against 45; a minority cabinet of either of the 100-vote coalitions, which would have negotiate with the opposition to get the majority required for a confidence vote or to pass any legislation; or fresh elections.

On 26 June, the Civic Democratic Party, KDU-ČSL and the Greens announced that they had agreed on a coalition.

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Civic Democratic Party	1,892,475	35.38	81	+23
	Czech Social Democratic Party	1,728,827	32.32	74	+4
	Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia	685,328	12.81	26	-15
	Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party	386,706	7.23	13	-10
	Green Party	336,487	6.29	6	+6
	SNK European Democrats	111,724	2.09	0	0
	Independent Democrats	36,708	0.69	0	New
	Independents	33,030	0.62	0	New
	Party of Common Sense	24,828	0.46	0	0
	Right Bloc	20,382	0.38	0	0
	Freedom Union – Democratic Union	16,457	0.31	0	–8
	Law and Justice	12,756	0.24	0	New
	Moravané	12,552	0.23	0	New
	Equal Opportunities Party	10,879	0.20	0	New
	National Party	9,341	0.18	0	New
	Coalition for the Czech Republic	8,140	0.15	0	New
	Koruna Česká (Monarchist Party of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia)	7,293	0.14	0	New
	Balbinova poeticka strana	6,897	0.13	0	0
	4 VIZE	3,109	0.06	0	New
	Czech National Social Party	1,387	0.03	0	0
	Helax-Ostrava se bavi	1,375	0.03	0	New
	Humanist Party	857	0.02	0	New
	Folklore and Society	574	0.01	0	New
	Czech Right	395	0.01	0	0
	Liberal Reform Party	253	0.00	0	New
	National Unity	216	0.00	0	New
Invalid/blank votes		19,519	–	–	–
Total		5,368,495	100	200	0
Registered voters/turnout		8,333,305	64.4	–	–
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Results by regions

Winning parties by region

• Official election web site, English
• http://www.volby.cz – Official site with detailed results of all elections since 1994 in Czech and English (only for the later dates)
• Adam Carr's Election Archive
• Parties and elections