President of the Czech Republic
| President of the Czech Republic Prezident České republiky |
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| Style | His Excellency |
| Residence | Prague Castle |
| Seat | Prague, Czech Republic |
| Appointer | Popular vote |
| Term length | Five years Renewable once, consecutively |
| Inaugural holder |
Václav Havel 2 February 1993 |
| Formation | Constitution of the Czech Republic |
| Salary | 2,235,600 Kč ($ 86,830) |
| Website | www.hrad.cz |
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The President of the Czech Republic is the elected head of state of the Czech Republic and the commander-in-chief of the Military of the Czech Republic. Unlike counterparts in other Central European countries such as Austria and Hungary, who are generally considered figureheads, the Czech president has a considerable role in political affairs. Because many powers can only be exercised with the signatures of both the President and the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, responsibility over some political issues is effectively shared between the two offices.
The framers of the Constitution of the Czech Republic intended to set up a parliamentary system, with the prime minister as the country's leading political figure and de facto chief executive and the president as a ceremonial head of state. However, the stature of the first president, Václav Havel, was such that the office acquired greater influence than the framers intended.
The President of the Czech Republic has the authority to act independently in a number of substantive areas. One of the office's strongest powers is that of veto, which returns a bill to parliament. Although the veto may be overridden by parliament, the ability to refuse to sign legislation acts as a check on the power of the legislature. The only kind of bills a president can neither veto nor approve are acts that would change the constitution.
The president also has the leading role in the appointment of persons to key high offices, including appointment of judges to the Supreme and Constitutional Courts (with the permission of the Senate), and members of the Bank Board of the Czech National Bank.
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Wikipedia