RATING
AND DEBATE
Decided
Prime
Minister Stanislav Gross, who leads a fragile and often fractious
centre-left coalition, said in Brussels (October 2004) that the
Czech Republic could be among the very last countries to hold a
referendum. Analysts say the reason was simple: the government was
hoping that by 2006, most EU members will have already voted "Yes".
The government is a strongly pro-EU coalition of three parties,
all three parties support the EU Constitution and all three were
likely to campaign heavily in favour. But the Civic Democratic Party
(ODS), the strongest opposition party, has reservations regarding
many parts of the Constitutional Treaty, and also whether the EU
needs a Constitutional Treaty or not. Former Czech president and
ODS member Vaclav Havel said on 02.01.2005 in a television discussion
programme that he believed a referendum on the European constitutional
treaty should not be held in the country, he said that the Constitution
was a complex text which did not change the European Union much.
It
is still not clear whether any change of the Czech Constitution
(art. 10 and 10a) would be necessary for the adoption of the European
Constitutional Treaty, or whether the current wording is sufficient.
On 02.02.2005, President Vaclav Klaus asked the Czech Constitutional
Court on whether the European Constitution is in line with the Czech
Constitution.
According
to a poll conducted by the SC&C polling institute in February
2005 for the daily "Lidove noviny" almost one half of
Czechs are convinced that the decision on the Constitutional Treaty
should be made in a referendum. The referendum was mostly advocated
by the voters of the governing Social Democrats (CSSD), with almost
63 per cent for the idea. It was also advocated among those voting
for the opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the Communists,
among whom the figure was roughly 60 per cent of those polled, the
Christian Democrat voters only supported the referendum idea by
54 per cent.
On
09.03.2005 the Czech government approved a bill that allows people
to voice positions on fundamental external and internal issues in
a referendum, which includes a referendum on the EU constitution.
According to the bill a referendum can be called by the President
if he is petitioned by 101 of the country's 200 deputies, 41 of
the 81 senators, or by at least 500,000 citizens. In order to pass
a constitutional act, the consent from at least 120 out of the 200
deputies and three-fifths of present senators is needed. On 24.03.05
the Civic Democrats (ODS) pushed their own proposal for a plebiscite,
whose validity would not be conditioned by the 50 per cent turnout
and which would not coincide with the general elections date. The
ODS said it wanted to prevent the EU constitution issue from being
abused in the campaign before the mid-2006 general elections.
Czech
Republic, as member of the Visegrad group, signed in the aftermath
of the French and Dutch referenda a statement in which the group
urged "all member states to express themselves on the treaty...
and proceed with ratification they consider most appropriate in
their circumstances" despite the results in the two founder
members of the EU.
After the EU summit the Czech political class is divided regarding
the future of the Constitutional treaty. While Prime Minister Jiri
Paroubek (senior government Social Democrats, CSSD), who had already
pushed before the summit to give more time for the ratification
process in order to present the treaty to people, adhered after
the EU Summit on the referendum plans and started to plan a broad
information campaign. The Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus
argued on 19.06 a referendum on the Constitution would now be pointless
as the treaty no longer existed and any referendum would only be
a public opinion poll and not a meaningful referendum under the
Czech constitution. The opposition Civic Democrats party (ODS),
which is favourite for the coming national election, rejected both
the extension of the ratification period and the Constitution itself.
While before the referenda in France and the Netherlands the majority
of Czechs supported the treaty, support for the Constitution has
sharply fallen among Czechs after the public votes, according to
a poll by the STEM agency. A June survey which polled 1,651 Czechs
in the first week of June, shortly after the treaty was rejected
in France and the Netherlands, showed that 42% of Czechs would have
voted in favour of the Constitution, down from 62% in April. Another
poll taken in June by the SC&C agency showed that just 19 %
of Czechs were in favour of the treaty.
Eurobarometer
(2006), The Future of Europe - Results for the Czech
Republic, Special Eurobarometer 251, Fieldwork: 23/02 –
15/03 2006. (PDF)
Eurobarometer
report, (February 2004): 64%
rather agree, 17% rather disagree*
*Are
you rather agree or rather disagree with the statement: The European
Union must adopt a Constitution.
Eurobarometer
report, (January 2005): 39% favourable, 20% opposed*
*Based
on what you know, would you say that you are in favour of or opposed
to the draft European Constitution?
Eurobarometer
report, (July 2005): 44% favourable, 32% opposed*
*Based
on the question, are you for or against a constitution for the European
Union?
Latest
News
19.08.2005
Czechs against continued ratification of EU constitution. EUobserver.com
19.06.2005 Czech
president says EU constitution referendum is pointless. EUbusiness.com
13.06.2005
Czechs leaning towards 'no' on EU constitution: poll. EUbusiness.com
10.06.2005
Czechs PM calls for signal from EU leaders to vote yes on constitution.
EUbusiness.com
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