Czechia

The 200 members of the House of Representatives (lower house) are directly elected in a two-tier, open-list proportional representation system in 14 regional constituencies. The legal electoral threshold is 5% by default, 7% for two-party alliances and 11% for multi-party alliances. Due to the constituency structure and the way seats are allocated, the system is biased towards larger parties even above the threshold. Voting is open-list, with voters being able to vote for up to four candidates from the same list (referred to as preferential votes).

The minimum age for active suffrage (the right to vote) is 18 years and for passive suffrage (standing for election) it is 21 years.

In 2025, for the first time, postal voting was possible for Czech voters abroad, instead of in person voting at diplomatic missions only. Registration is required for voters abroad. There is no option for proxy or online voting. Voting usually takes place on Fridays and Saturdays.

The president (head of state) is directly elected for a 5-year term in a two-round system and may be re-elected once, so the same person can be president for a maximum of 2 terms in total, i.e. 10 years (the two terms do not have to be consecutive). The first round is held via a single-choice vote and the two candidates with the most votes advance to the second round if no one receives a majority (more than half of the valid votes, 50%+) in the first round.

MEPs from Czechia are elected every 5 years (at the same time as in the other EU member states). The entire country forms one constituency, in which 21 MEPs were elected in 2024. Due to "degressive proportionality", Czech voters have more representatives per capita than the EU average.

The main principle in the election of the Parliament (within the countries) is proportionality: by default, only a proportional system can be used, but beyond this, the member states decide for themselves what type. Czechia, like most member states, uses an open-list proportional system. This means that voters can vote not only for a party list, but also for a candidate on the list, thus allowing them the chance to collectively change the predetermined order of the candidates. The allocation of seats between parties is done using the D'Hondt (Jefferson) method. The legal electoral threshold is 5%.

The minimum age for active suffrage (the right to vote) is 18 years, and for passive suffrage (standing for election) is 21 years. Voting is not compulsory, in-person voting abroad, postal voting, online voting or proxy voting are not possible.

This is the description of the electoral system of Czechia as of 05.06.2026 on Electoral Knowledgebase. Sources and further information on this topic:

• https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/1995-247/zneni-20250101

• https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/

• 2024 European Parliament elections: National rules (European Parliament)

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