Opposition agreement
The Opposition Agreement (Czech: Opoziční smlouva) was a political agreement between two major parties in the Czech Republic, the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) and the Civic Democratic Party (ODS). ČSSD was allowed to govern alone while ODS received a number of parliamentary posts and the two parties together adopted several constitutional amendments. It was signed by Miloš Zeman and Václav Klaus on 8 July 1998.[1]
The agreement was signed as a result of problematic coalition talks after the 1998 legislative election.[2] It was criticised by many journalists and politicians who blamed it for a rise in corruption. Many commentators also considered it to be a de facto coalition agreement. On the other hand, supporters say that it helped to stabilise the political situation in the country.[3][4]
Background
Václav Klaus's second government collapsed due to an internal crisis within ODS, the largest coalition party, related to unclear financing of the party, and the subsequent withdrawal of the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) and KDU-ČSL from the coalition. A snap election was scheduled on 19 and 20 June 1998. Some members of ODS left the party and formed the Freedom Union, while the rest remained loyal to Klaus. The event was named the "Sarajevo assassination" by supporters of Klaus, as Klaus was in Sarajevo at the time of the attempted takeover.
The 1998 legislative election ended with a narrow victory for ČSSD. The coalition negotiations were unsuccessful, as the Freedom Union refused to enter a coalition with ČSSD, while ODS refused to enter a coalition with the Freedom Union, due to their "betrayal".
Instead, the leaders of ODS and ČSSD (Klaus and Miloš Zeman) decided to make a deal.
The Agreement
The "Treaty on creating a stable political environment in Czech Republic" (Czech: Smlouva o vytvoření stabilního politického prostředí v České republice), more commonly known as "the opposition agreement" (Czech: Opoziční smlouva) established a set of rules for the winning party and the second party.
Both parties pledged to:
- Respect the winning party's right to form a government and formalize a process for realization of this respect (by leaving the Chamber of deputies during confidence votes, allowing the governing party to win confidence votes without actually having majority).
- Respect the right of a defeated party to be in opposition to the government.
- Respect the opposition party's right to hold the chair of both houses of parliament.
- Respect the opposition party's right to control the leading control bodies, specified in the treaty.
- Not to propose a motion of no confidence and not supporting such a motion in the event another party proposes it.
- Propose changes to strengthen the importance of results of competition of political parties for the Constitution and related laws.
- Consult the solution for foreign and domestic affairs before the readings in the parliament. With preferential consideration of stability, prosperity and position of the Czech Republic in the world.
- To take no part in deals with third parties, which would lead to weakening the position of the opposition agreement.
Attempt to change the electoral system
The two parties also reached an agreement on changing the electoral system to benefit parties with the most votes — themselves at the time — by making constituencies smaller and changing the allocation formula. The new law would have almost destroyed the opposition and given the two parties nearly all the seats in the Chamber of Deputies, but it was struck down by the constitutional court, as Article 18 of the Czech Constitution explicitly states that elections to the Chamber of Deputies must be held "according to the principle of proportional representation".
References
- ^ "Demythologizing the Czech Opposition Agreement". ResearchGate. December 2003. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ Doležal, Bohumil (21 January 2013). "Co byla opoziční smlouva". Bohumil Doležal. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ "Opoziční smlouva 15 let poté: Signatáři podpisů nelitují". ČT24 (in Czech). Česká televize. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ "Opoziční smlouva: Zemanovy mýty, polopravdy a lži". Lidovky.cz. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- v
- t
- e
- 2nd President of the Czech Republic (2003–2013)
- 3rd President of the Chamber of Deputies (1998–2002)
- 1st Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (1993–1998)
- 1990 Czechoslovak parliamentary election
- Interparliamentary Club of the Democratic Right
- Marián Čalfa's Second Cabinet
- Civic Forum leadership election, 1990
- Marián Čalfa's Third Cabinet
- Civic Democratic Party leadership election, April 1991
- Civic Democratic Party leadership election, November 1991
- 1992 Czech legislative election
- 1992 Czechoslovak parliamentary election
- 1992 Civic Democratic Party leadership election
- Jan Stráský's Cabinet
- 1993 Civic Democratic Party leadership election
- 1994 Civic Democratic Party leadership election
- 1995 Civic Democratic Party leadership election
- 1996 Czech legislative election
- 1996 Civic Democratic Party leadership election
- 1997 Civic Democratic Party leadership election
- 1997–1998 Czech political crisis
- 1998 Czech legislative election
- 1998 President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic election
- 1999 Civic Democratic Party leadership election
- Opposition agreement
- Czech TV crisis
- 2001 Civic Democratic Party leadership election
- 2002 Czech legislative election
- 2002 President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic election
- 2003 Czech presidential election
- Stanislav Gross' Cabinet
- Jiří Paroubek's cabinet
- Mirek Topolánek's First Cabinet
- Mirek Topolánek's Second Cabinet
- 2008 Czech presidential election
- Ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon
- Jan Fischer's Cabinet
- General debate of the sixty-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly
- Petr Nečas' Cabinet
- General debate of the sixty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly
- Attack in Chrastava
- Václav Klaus' Amnesty
- Treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism
- General debate of the sixty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly
- Impeachment attempt
- Livia Klausová (spouse)
- Václav Klaus Jr. (son)
- Blue, not Green Planet
- Blue Planet in Peril
- Czech Way
- Dismantling Socialism: A Road to Market Economy II
- Great Economists are my Inspiration
- Economical Theory and Economical Reform
- European Integration Without Illusions
- Marx' Political Theory and Political Economy
- New Notes from Journeys
- Notes from Journeys
- A Road to Market Economy
- We, Europe an the World
- Where Tomorrow starts
- Civic Democratic Party
- Klausism
- Category:Václav Klaus