Home > 3 Electoral systems > CZECH REPUBLIC- Act on Elections to the Parliament and on Amendments of Certain Other Acts
 
 
 
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Article 50
 

First Scrutiny [*note of the translator*]

(1) The aggregate number of votes accrued in an electoral region by all the Political Parties and coalitions which have qualified for the first scrutiny shall be divided by the total number of representative seats allocated for such electoral region, plus one; the number arrived at by means of the aforementioned formula, and rounded off to the nearest whole number, shall define [the average number of votes required in the region for a party/coalition to win one of the representative seats allocated to that region -] the regional vote quota.

(2) The total vote that the Political Party or coalition accrued in the electoral region shall be divided by the regional vote quota, and a seat shall be awarded to the Political Party or coalition as many times as the party/coalition total contains the full regional vote quota.

(3) If in the above manner, one seat is distributed in excess of the number of representative seats allocated to the electoral region, the seat that is awarded in excess of the limit shall be subtracted from the seats assigned to the Political Party or coalition with the smallest remainder of votes after the quota has been subtracted from each party's/coalition's total vote for each seat it is awarded in the electoral region. Should there be several Political Parties or coalitions with equally smallest remainder, then the seat shall be subtracted from the seats awarded to the Political Party or coalition which has accrued the smallest number of votes in the electoral region; should there be more Political Parties or coalitions with equally smallest party/coalition totals, then lots shall be drawn to determine the losing Political Party or coalition.

(4) The seats that a Political Party or coalition wins shall be allocated to its candidates in the order in which they appear on the party/coalition list. Should, however, one tenth or more voters out of the total number of voters choosing the same Political Party or coalition in the electoral region have exercised the right to a preferential vote, the candidate who received the number of preferential votes which equals or exceeds ten per cent of the total vote obtained in the electoral region by the Political Party or coalition the candidate represents shall be awarded a seat first. If a Political Party or coalition is entitled to more than one seat, and if more than one candidate of that Political Party or coalition complies with the provisions of the foregoing clause, seats shall be awarded to such candidates sequentially according to the total of preferential votes they polled, the formula being the higher the number of

preferential votes received, the first in turn to be awarded the seat. If the number of preferential votes polled by the candidates who represent one Political Party or coalition, and who comply with the above provisions is equal, the candidates' positions as they appear on the party list shall then be determining.

(5) Should a Political Party or coalition have nominated fewer candidates than the total number of seats the Political Party or coalition has secured in the first scrutiny, the Political Party or coalition shall be entitled only to so many seats as it has nominated candidates.

(6) The chairman of the Central Election Board shall declare the first scrutiny closed, and communicate its outcome to the representatives of the Political Parties or coalitions which have qualified for the first scrutiny. e