Legal System of Czechia
Czechia is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in central europe, between germany, poland, slovakia, and austria. The country achieved independence on 1 january 1993 (czechoslovakia split into the czech republic and slovakia). The capital is Prague.
Government Overview
Government Type: parliamentary republic Chief of State: President Petr PAVEL (since 9 March 2023) Head of Government: Prime Minister Andrej BABIS (since 9 December 2025) Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister Administrative Divisions: 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky (South Bohemia), Jihomoravsky (South Moravia), Karlovarsky (Karlovy Vary), Kralovehradecky (Hradec Kralove), Liberecky (Liberec), Moravskoslezsky (Moravia-Silesia), Olomoucky (Olomouc), Pardubicky (Pardubice), Plzensky (Pilsen), Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky (Central Bohemia), Ustecky (Usti), Vysocina (Highlands), Zlinsky (Zlin) National Holiday: Czechoslovak Founding Day, 28 October (1918) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Legal System
The legal system of Czechia is described as new civil code enacted in 2014, replacing civil code of 1964 based on former Austro-Hungarian civil codes and socialist theory International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Constitutional Framework
The constitution has the following history: previous 1960; latest ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993 Amendment Process: passage requires at least three-fifths concurrence of members present in both houses of Parliament
Judicial Branch
Highest Court(s): Supreme Court (organized into Civil Law and Commercial Division, and Criminal Division each with a court chief justice, vice justice, and several judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 15 justices); Supreme Administrative Court (consists of 36 judges, including the court president and vice president, and organized into 6-, 7-, and 9-member chambers) Judge Selection: Supreme Court judges proposed by the Chamber of Deputies and appointed by the president; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate; judges appointed for 10-year, renewable terms; Supreme Administrative Court judges selected by the president of the Court; unlimited terms Subordinate Courts: High Court; regional and district courts
Legislative Branch
The legislative structure consists of bicameral Lower Chamber: Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecka Snemovna) (200 (all directly elected) seats) Electoral System (Lower Chamber): proportional representation Upper Chamber: Senate (Senat)
Citizenship and Suffrage
Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Czechia Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Historical Background
At the close of World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia, a parliamentarian democracy. During the interwar years, having rejected a federal system, the new country’s predominantly Czech leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the increasingly strident demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Slovaks, the Sudeten Germans, and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians).
This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Czechia based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.