Czech legislative election, 2006

Czech legislative election, 2006

← 2002 2 and 3 June 2006 2010 →
All 200 seats to the Chamber of Deputies 101 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Mirek Topolánek Jiří Paroubek Vojtěch Filip Party ODS ČSSD KSČM Leader's seat Prague Ústí nad Labem South Moravia Last election 58 seats, 24.47% 70 seats, 30.20% 41 seats, 18.51% Seats won 81 74 26 Seat change 23 4 15 Popular vote 1,892,475 1,728,827 685,328 Percentage 35.28% 32.32% 12.81%   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Miroslav Kalousek Martin Bursík Party KDU–ČSL SZ Leader's seat South Bohemia Prague Last election 31 seats, 14.27% 0 seats, 2.36% Seats won 13 6 Seat change 18 6 Popular vote 386,706 336,487 Percentage 7,23% 6.29%
Winning parties by district
Prime Minister before election Jiří Paroubek ČSSD Elected Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek ODS

Jiří Paroubek
ČSSD

Mirek Topolánek
ODS

Parliamentary elections were held in the Czech Republic on 2 and 3 June 2006.

The pre-election campaign was fierce and mostly negative. A major scandal broke out a few days before the elections when a classified report by the head of the anti-organised crime unit Jan Kubice was leaked to the media accusing the ruling Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) of corruption and meddling in police investigations. The two largest parties — the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the ČSSD profited from the divisive campaign and obtained the highest percentage of votes ever. Turnout of otherwise apathetic Czech voters increased, compared to the previous elections election in 2002.

The elections produced an evenly balanced result. One potential coalition – the ODS, Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) and Greens (SZ) – won exactly half of the 200 seats, whilsy. The ČSSD and Communists (KSČM) held the other half, making the possibility of a minority Social Democratic government supported by the Communists equally problematic.

Ultimately the Civic Democrats, Christian Democrats and Greens formed a coalition government when a confidence vote was passed on 19 January 2007 (230 days after the elections), as two ČSSD deputies abstained.