2006 Czech parliamentary election

2006 Czech parliamentary election

← 2002 2–3 June 2006 2010 →
All 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies 101 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	64.42% (6.47pp)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Mirek Topolánek Jiří Paroubek Vojtěch Filip Party ODS ČSSD KSČM Last election 24.48%, 58 seats 30.21%, 70 seats 18.51%, 41 seats Seats won 81 74 26 Seat change 23 4 15 Popular vote 1,892,475 1,728,827 685,328 Percentage 35.38% 32.32% 12.81%   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Miroslav Kalousek Martin Bursík Party Lidovci SZ Last election 14.28%, 31 seats 2.37%, 0 seats Seats won 13 6 Seat change 18 6 Popular vote 386,706 336,487 Percentage 7.23% 6.29%
Result of election
Prime Minister before election Jiří Paroubek ČSSD Prime Minister after election Mirek Topolánek ODS

Parliamentary elections were held in the Czech Republic on 2 and 3 June 2006 to elect the members of the Chamber of Deputies.^[1]

A major scandal broke out a few days before the elections when a classified report by Jan Kubice, the head of the anti-organised crime unit, was leaked to the media, accusing the ruling Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) of corruption and interference in police investigations. The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the Social Democratic Party, the two largest parties, obtained their highest percentage of votes ever. Turnout increased from the previous parliamentary elections in 2002.

The elections produced an evenly balanced result. One potential coalition – the Civic Democratic Party, Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) and Greens – won exactly half of the 200 seats, while the Social Democratic Party and the Communists (KSČM) held the other half, meaning that either coalition would struggle to pass legislation.

Following the elections, 230 days passed without a new government being formed. Eventually, a coalition government formed of the Civic Democratic Party, KDU-ČSL and the Greens passed a confidence vote on 19 January 2007, when two Social Democrat deputies abstained.