Elections

As of May 1, 2004, citizens of the European Union can vote and stand as candidates in the Czech Republic for municipal councils (or in local referendums) and the European Parliament on the basis of EU legislation.

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS

Municipal elections in the Czech Republic are held regularly once every 4 years. In the election, the citizens choose the members of the municipal council, therefore, taking part directly in the policymaking of their municipality. In the case of big municipalities that are further divided into districts (Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Ústí nad Labem, Pardubice, Opava, Liberec and Prague), you can vote for candidates running for the council of the whole city and, at the same time, for candidates that run for the council of an individual district.

Right to vote

All EU citizens meeting the requirements below are entitled to vote in municipal elections in the Czech Republic:

  • they have a permanent residence permit or a registration certificate (formerly known as a “temporary residence permit”) in the Czech Republic,
  • they have reached 18 years of age at least on the second election day,
  • their reported address is in the given municipality or city where they want to vote, and
  • they are registered on the corresponding municipal authority’s voter list.

If you meet the first 3 above-mentioned requirements, request registration in the Appendix of the voter list. You can do so at the authority of the municipality where you live. If you live in a city that is further divided into districts, ask for registration at the authority of the corresponding city district.

You can request the registration at any time, but at the latest two days before the election takes place, i.e. at the latest until Wednesday 4 pm.

Registration on a voter list in the Czech Republic does not affect the voter list in your home country, neither does it limit your right to keep voting there.

The validity of registration on a voter list is not limited in time. Therefore, you will be kept on the list until you request deletion or until you no longer meet the requirements stipulated by law. At the same time, if you change your address in the Czech Republic, you will be automatically recorded on the voter list in the new municipality. That means that you do not have to request new registration for the next elections. However, if you move out of the Czech Republic, you will no longer meet the residence requirement and your name will be deleted.

You can request registration:

  1. in person
    • Bring a travel document and
    • a permanent residence permit document, a temporary residence permit or a registration certificate.
  2. by post
    • Fill in all the information required in the application form and send it to the corresponding municipal (or city district) authority.
    • If the authority finds that you do not meet the requirements for registration on the voter list, it will inform you about it in writing.

In case of doubts, you can contact the authority and check if they have registered you. If you find a mistake, you can request its correction or completion of information. The authority must comply with the request within 48 hours or inform you in writing about the reasons why it was not possible to act on your request.

Right to stand as a candidate

Every EU citizen meeting the requirements below is entitled to stand as a candidate in municipal elections in the Czech Republic:

  • they have a permanent residence permit or a registration certificate (formerly known as a “temporary residence permit”) in the Czech Republic,
  • they have reached 18 years of age at least on the second election day,
  • their reported address is in the given municipality or city where they want to stand as a candidate.

Only Czech citizens can become mayors and deputy mayors in the Czech Republic. However, you can be elected to a municipal council or a municipal board.

Foreign nationals cannot be members of political parties and movements. If you want to stand as a candidate on a candidate list of a party or a movement, you can do so as a candidate without political affiliation.

You can stand as a candidate on candidate lists of:

  • political parties,
  • political movements,
  • coalitions of political parties and movements,
  • associations of independent candidates,
  • associations of political parties, movements and independent candidates, or
  • as an independent candidate.

If you want to stand as an independent candidate in municipal elections on your own, your candidacy must be supported by a voters’ petition. The required number of signatures on the petition differs according to the total number of inhabitants living in the municipality. The number is published at the latest 85 days before the election day. You must submit the candidate list to the registration office at the latest 66 days before the election. If you want to stand as a candidate of a political party or movement, contact the given entity about your intention.