1996 Czech Senate election
First party
Second party
Third party
Leader
Václav Klaus
Miloš Zeman
Josef Lux
Party
ODS
ČSSD
Lidovci
Seats won
32
25
13
First round
1,006,036
559,304
274,316
Second round
1,134,044
733,713
247,819
Fourth party
Fifth party
Leader
Jan Kalvoda
Miroslav Grebeníček
Party
ODA
KSČM
Seats won
7
2
First round
222,319
393,494
Second round
119,730
45,304
Senate elections were held in the Czech Republic for the first time on 15 and 16 November 1996, with a second round on 22 and 23 November.[ 1] Civic Democratic Party emerged as the largest party, winning 32 of the 81 seats. Voter turnout was 35% in the first round and 31% in the second.[ 2]
This was the only time Senate elections were held in all 81 single-member constituencies at the same time. Senators elected in 1996 were divided into three classes depending on number of their constituencies to determine which Senate seats would be up for election in 1998, 2000 and 2002. Senators in the Czech Republic are elected for six-year terms, with one-third being renewed every two years.
The elections were held using the two-round system , with an absolute majority required to be elected.
Opinion polls
Date
Polling firm
ODS ČSSD KSČM KDU-ČSL ODA SPR-RSČ Others/Undecided
August 1996
IVVM[ 3]
15.7
10.4
3.0
2.6
1.5
0.9
65.9
September 1996
IVVM[ 3]
38.4
21.0
15.3
8.4
6.6
2.3
8.0
October 1996
IVVM[ 3]
34.6
25.7
12.3
11.2
8.6
1.1
6.6
November 1996
IVVM[ 3]
40.8
24.1
11.8
9.9
8.0
1.6
3.8
Results Party First round Second round Total Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Civic Democratic Party 1,006,036 36.48 3 1,134,044 49.15 29 32 Czech Social Democratic Party 559,304 20.28 0 733,713 31.80 25 25 Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia 393,494 14.27 0 45,304 1.96 2 2 KDU-ČSL 274,316 9.95 1 247,819 10.74 12 13 Civic Democratic Alliance 222,319 8.06 0 119,730 5.19 7 7 Free Democrats – Liberal National Social Party 43,895 1.59 0 0 Moravian–Silesian Coalition 96 26,643 0.97 0 0 Democratic Union 24,454 0.89 0 14,656 0.64 1 1 Green Party 21,146 0.77 0 0 Party for Life Security 16,793 0.61 0 0 Independents 13,442 0.49 0 0 Club of Committed Non-Party Members 5,309 0.19 0 0 Masaryk Democratic Party 4,272 0.15 0 0 Party of the Democratic Left 4,241 0.15 0 0 Right Bloc 4,238 0.15 0 0 Left 3,164 0.11 0 0 Independent Initiative 2,565 0.09 0 0 Right Alternative 2,332 0.08 0 0 Coexistence 1,794 0.07 0 0 Communist Party of Czechoslovakia 1,640 0.06 0 0 Czech Right [cs ] 1,599 0.06 0 0 Republican Union [cs ] 1,299 0.05 0 0 National Active Citizens 1,221 0.04 0 0 Republican Party of Agricultural and Smallholder People 1,181 0.04 0 0 Party of Entrepreneurs, Sole Traders and Peasants [cs ] 901 0.03 0 0 Humanist Party 715 0.03 0 0 Republican Party 695 0.03 0 0 Prague Residents 482 0.02 0 0 Party of Small Business Owners 431 0.02 0 0 Democrats 92 288 0.01 0 0 Roma Civic Initiative 262 0.01 0 0 Eastern European National Political Movement 13 0.00 0 0 Independents 117,641 4.27 0 11,993 0.52 1 1 Total 2,758,125 100.00 4 2,307,259 100.00 77 81 Valid votes 2,758,125 98.82 2,307,259 99.30 Invalid/blank votes 32,960 1.18 16,182 0.70 Total votes 2,791,085 100.00 2,323,441 100.00 Registered voters/turnout 7,992,740 34.92 7,594,316 30.59 Source: Nohlen & Stöver, Czech Statistical Office
References
^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook , p471 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7^ Nohlen & Stöver, p472
^ a b c d "Nesstar WebView" . nesstar.soc.cas.cz . Retrieved 4 January 2017 .
