The Czech political scene supports a broad spectrum of parties ranging from the unreconstructed Communist Party on the far left to several nationalistic and non-parliamentary parties on the extreme right. The center-left Social Democrats emerged in first place in the elections 2002 and in cooperation with the centrist, two-party Coalition was able to form a government with a narrow parliamentary majority. Czech voters returned a verdict in the June 2002 parliamentary elections, giving the center-left Social Democrats (CSSD) a plurality and the Commonwealth Party another fifth of the Chamber. Former Prime Minister Klaus' Civic Democrats (ODS) and the Communists went into opposition. Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla, as the head of government wields considerable powers under the Czech constitution, including the right to set the agenda for most foreign and domestic policies, mobilize the parliamentary majority, and choose government ministers.

The President of the Czech Republic is Vaclav Klaus. He was elected on February 28, 2003, and sworn into office on March 7, 2003. As formal head of state, the president is granted specific powers such as the right to nominate Constitutional Court judges, dissolve parliament under certain conditions, and enact a veto on legislation. Presidents are elected by the Parliament for 5-year terms.

The legislature is bicameral, with a Chamber of Deputies (200 seats) and a Senate (81 seats). With the split of the former Czechoslovakia, the powers and responsibilities of the now defunct federal Parliament were transferred to the Czech National Council, which renamed itself the Chamber of Deputies. Chamber delegates are elected from 14 regions, including the capital, Prague, for 4-year terms, on the basis of proportional representation. The Czech Senate is patterned after the U.S. Senate and was first elected in 1996; its members serve for 6-year terms with one-third being elected every 2 years.

The country's highest court of appeal is the Supreme Court. The Constitutional Court, which rules on constitutional issues, is appointed by the president, and its members serve 10-year terms.

The Czech Republic maintains an embassy at 3900 Spring of Freedom Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008, (tel. 202-274-9101).