Hamáček proposes major change to parliamentary election system

The Social Democrat minister of the interior, Jan Hamáček, has come out with a radical proposal to change the Czech Republic’s system of parliamentary elections. In an interview with Saturday’s edition of the newspaper Lidové noviny he said that instead of the current 14 electoral districts, corresponding to the country’s regions, there would be only one, national voting district.

Mr. Hamáček proposes a system under which each grouping would have one national candidates list, headed by the party’s leader. He said this would do away with debates over the number of votes required for election, which ranges from region to region.

The change would also have an impact inside parties that would weaken regional bosses, he said, adding that he would discuss the concept with President Miloš Zeman.

Author: Ian Willoughby