# Next Czech parliamentary election
The next Czech parliamentary election is the election to the 200-seat Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecká sněmovna) of the Czech Republic that must be held by October 2029, following the regular four-year cycle, unless the chamber is dissolved sooner and early elections are called. The previous election took place on 3 and 4 October 2025 and was won decisively by the centrist ANO (YES) movement of [Andrej Babiš](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrej-babis), who now leads a coalition government; Czech [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) notes the next election will take place in October 2029, or earlier.[1](https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/clanek/domaci/volby-do-snemovny-by-v-cervenci-vyhralo-ano-motoriste-propadli-376464)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Office contested | 200 deputies of the Chamber of Deputies, elected for four-year terms[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/) |
| Due date | October 2029, or earlier if the Chamber of Deputies is dissolved[1](https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/clanek/domaci/volby-do-snemovny-by-v-cervenci-vyhralo-ano-motoriste-propadli-376464) |
| Electoral system | Proportional representation in 14 electoral regions matching the self-governing regions and Prague[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/) • [3](https://www.psp.cz/docs/texts/elections.html) |
| Thresholds | 5% for a single party or movement, 8% for a two-member coalition, 11% for a coalition of three or more[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/) |
| Seat allocation | Imperiali quota, Q = V/(S+2) in the first round, introduced by Act No. 189/2021 after a Constitutional Court ruling[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/) |
| Eligibility | Voting from age 18; candidacy from age 21[3](https://www.psp.cz/docs/texts/elections.html) |
| Spending limit | Campaign expenditure capped at CZK 90 million for each candidate entity[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/) |
| Incumbent context | ANO won the October 2025 election and governs with Freedom and Direct Democracy and Motorists for Themselves[4](https://apnews.com/article/34a9ee9ea171d70268112b146b8dbfa5) |
## Electoral system
The Constitution stipulates proportional representation for elections to the Chamber of Deputies, with deputies chosen by general, equal, and direct suffrage by secret ballot.[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/) • [3](https://www.psp.cz/docs/texts/elections.html) The country is divided into 14 electoral regions corresponding to the self-governing regions and the capital, Prague.[3](https://www.psp.cz/docs/texts/elections.html) Seats are first apportioned among regions by dividing the national total of valid votes by 200 to obtain a republic mandate number, then allocating seats to regions, with leftovers going to the region with the largest remainder.[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/)
Parties must clear an electoral clause to take part in the seat tally: 5% of valid votes nationwide for a single party or movement, 8% for a two-member coalition, and 11% for coalitions of three or more. The clause can be reduced once, to 4%, 7%, and 10% respectively, if too few entities advance, and by a further percentage point if the condition still is not met.[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/)
The conversion of votes into seats has changed recently. On 10 February 2021 the Constitutional Court, in finding No. 49/2021 Coll., struck down the coalition thresholds and the use of the d'Hondt method (a seat-allocation formula dividing votes by successive divisors) at the level of the electoral regions.[5](https://csu.gov.cz/legislativa-a-metody-prepoctu-volby-do-poslanecke-snemovny) Act No. 189/2021 then replaced d'Hondt with the Imperiali quota.[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/) In the first round, a region's valid votes V are divided by the number of seats S in the region plus two, Q = V/(S+2); a party wins a seat for each time the quota fits into its vote total. Seats left unallocated are distributed in a second round based on remaining votes and a republic electoral number.[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/)
Voters may mark up to four candidates with preferential votes on a party's list. A candidate who receives at least 5% of the total valid votes cast for that party in the region moves to the top of the list and wins a seat in preference.[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/)
## Timing and procedure
The president of the republic announces parliamentary elections no later than ninety days before they are held, and voting always takes place on two days, a Friday and a Saturday.[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/) • [3](https://www.psp.cz/docs/texts/elections.html) If the Chamber of Deputies is dissolved, elections must be held within sixty days of dissolution.[6](https://vlada.gov.cz/en/za-premierem-a-vladou/constitution-of-the-czech-reputation-new-8073/) Every citizen aged 18 or over may vote, and citizens abroad may vote at diplomatic missions or by postal vote in Chamber of Deputies elections.[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/) • [3](https://www.psp.cz/docs/texts/elections.html)
Campaign rules are set in detail by Act No. 247/1995 Coll. Each candidate entity must open a dedicated campaign account within five days of the announcement of the elections, with public access to a transaction summary, and expenditure may not exceed CZK 90 million, including in-kind support provided by third parties.[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/) Registered entities receive fourteen hours each of free broadcast time on Czech Television and Czech Radio, divided equally. Publication of pre-election polls is banned from the third day before the vote until the close of polling.[2](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/) • [3](https://www.psp.cz/docs/texts/elections.html)
## Political context
In the parliamentary election of 3 and 4 October 2025, Andrej Babiš's ANO movement won a decisive victory.[1](https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/clanek/domaci/volby-do-snemovny-by-v-cervenci-vyhralo-ano-motoriste-propadli-376464) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/d6b63b1909f909a7c5a3b059a6ff7d12) President Petr Pavel asked Babiš to form a government on 27 October 2025, and the new government, a majority coalition with the anti-migrant [Freedom and Direct Democracy](https://www.edgepedia.org/freedom-and-direct-democracy) party and the right-wing [Motorists for Themselves](https://www.edgepedia.org/motorists-for-themselves), won the mandatory confidence vote in the lower house with an agenda of reducing support for Ukraine and rejecting some key European Union policies.[8](https://apnews.com/article/0f539bf61ff8a8eb45e76398771cb470) • [4](https://apnews.com/article/34a9ee9ea171d70268112b146b8dbfa5)
The coalition's first electoral test came in the Senate and local elections of October 2026, one-third of the 81-seat Senate being up for election. The pro-Western opposition, which had joined forces in broad coalitions in many districts, kept control of the Senate, and Babiš called his movement's failure to win a single Senate seat "catastrophic".[9](https://apnews.com/article/bee8e7b0718b79323f8ad6946c8ba558) • [10](https://apnews.com/article/d206f3edbc7ea0f73b0dbd07b339820b) ANO won in six regional capitals, two fewer than in 2022, and not in Prague.[11](https://apnews.com/article/23ec077da1a39d8a4973fc10b3cfa1b5) Unlike the government, the opposition and President Pavel remain firm supporters of Ukraine after Russia's invasion.[9](https://apnews.com/article/bee8e7b0718b79323f8ad6946c8ba558)
The 2025 election was assessed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), whose final report of 1 July 2026 found that candidates could campaign freely and that voters were well informed, while noting a polarized campaign, an ineffective framework for online campaign transparency, and unaddressed recommendations on campaign finance oversight, media pluralism, and electoral coalition rules.[12](https://odihr.osce.org/news/odihr/666205) ODIHR's follow-up visit in 2026 discussed implementation with Czech authorities, including priority recommendations on a comprehensive review of election laws, equality of the vote, and campaign finance.[13](https://odihr.osce.org/news/odihr/667926)
## References
1. [Volby do sněmovny by v červenci vyhrálo ANO, Motoristé propadli, ČT24](https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/clanek/domaci/volby-do-snemovny-by-v-cervenci-vyhralo-ano-motoriste-propadli-376464)
2. [Elections to the Chamber of Deputies, Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic](https://pspen.psp.cz/chamber-members/plenary/elections/)
3. [Volby do Parlamentu České republiky, PSP ČR](https://www.psp.cz/docs/texts/elections.html)
4. [New Czech government of populist leader Andrej Babiš wins a mandatory confidence vote, AP](https://apnews.com/article/34a9ee9ea171d70268112b146b8dbfa5)
5. [Legislativa a metody přepočtu – Volby do Poslanecké sněmovny, Český statistický úřad](https://csu.gov.cz/legislativa-a-metody-prepoctu-volby-do-poslanecke-snemovny)
6. [Constitution of the Czech Republic, Government of the Czech Republic](https://vlada.gov.cz/en/za-premierem-a-vladou/constitution-of-the-czech-reputation-new-8073/)
7. [Populist billionaire Andrej Babiš wins Czech parliamentary election, official results show, AP](https://apnews.com/article/d6b63b1909f909a7c5a3b059a6ff7d12)
8. [Czech president asks populist leader Andrej Babiš to form a new government, AP](https://apnews.com/article/0f539bf61ff8a8eb45e76398771cb470)
9. [Czechs vote in Senate and local elections in first test for populist PM Babiš, AP](https://apnews.com/article/bee8e7b0718b79323f8ad6946c8ba558)
10. [Pro-Western opposition keeps control of Czech Senate after big election gains, AP](https://apnews.com/article/d206f3edbc7ea0f73b0dbd07b339820b)
11. [Czech opposition outpaced the ruling party in first round of Senate election, AP](https://apnews.com/article/23ec077da1a39d8a4973fc10b3cfa1b5)
12. [Czechia parliamentary elections 2025: ODIHR election assessment mission final report, OSCE/ODIHR](https://odihr.osce.org/news/odihr/666205)
13. [ODIHR experts discuss the 2026 final report and its recommendations during a follow-up visit to Czechia, OSCE/ODIHR](https://odihr.osce.org/news/odihr/667926)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Elections and representation › Elections and referendums › National and subnational elections outside the US and UK › European elections outside the UK › Central European elections (Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license