Constitutional Court: choice of “open” or “hidden” coalition rests with parties

The Czech Constitutional Court has ruled that political parties are free to decide whether to run as a formally declared coalition or as a looser electoral alliance. Both models, the court noted, come with distinct advantages and disadvantages. The decision rejects a complaint from Volt Česko, which challenged undeclared coalitions in parliamentary elections and sought to annul the registration of the Stačilo! movement and SPD. Declared coalitions must pass higher thresholds—8 percent for two parties, 11 percent for three or more—while undeclared alliances face different rules on financing and parliamentary groups. Court president Josef Baxa said the choice is “a matter of free will.”