Czechy

Abstract

The origin of the local government in Bohemia and Moravia (approx. the area of the present Czech Republic) can be traced back to the mid-19th century. After World War I, the basic unit of local government in the then Czechoslovakia was commune (municipality / township). After the “Velvet Revolution”, the historically-sanctioned forms of local government were embraced anew and now the local government is based on the principles of decentralization, de-concentration and democracy. The framework for local government powers, functions and structures is spelled out in the Constitution and numerous acts of law. The reestablishment of the local government in the Czech Republic was not created as a single act but was elaborated over a period of time. In 1990, the country was divided into about 6,000 municipalities (obec / mesto) at the lowest level of administrative division, and ten years later 14 regional municipalities (kraje) were introduced. There are also special administrative areas including the so-called statutory townships (statutarni mesto) and Prague. All the units of the administrative division perform on the one hand their own separate tasks – essentially consisting in providing for the needs of the local residents – and, on the other hand, the tasks relegated by the higher-level (national-level) government. They are all entitled to run businesses and dispose of the local assets. Local government is essentially funded by subventions from the state or some local taxes. The state is also responsible for the legal aspects of local governance, institutionally supervising local-level units. The local government in the Czech Republic is also a system of local democracy. The citizens are empowered to have an impact on local and regional issues through local elections and referenda. Putting aside minor differences, the local system of government consists of three institutions: legislative body (zastupitelstvo), executive body (rada) headed by starosta or hetman, and the office (urad) – the administrative body. The citizens of the Czech Republic are generally satisfied with the local government.