Czechoslovak parliamentary election, 1960

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Czechoslovak parliamentary election, 1960
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg
  1954 12 June 1960 (1960-06-12) 1964  

All 300 seats to the National Assembly
Turnout 99.7%

 Majority party
  Antonin Novotny 1968.jpg
Leader Antonín Novotný
Party KSČ
Alliance National Front
Seats after147
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 25

Prime Minister before election

Viliam Široký
KSČ

Elected Prime Minister

Viliam Široký
KSČ

Parliamentary elections were held in Czechoslovakia on 12 June 1960. [1] Voters were presented with a single list from the National Front, dominated by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ). [1] According to official figures, 99.7 percent of eligible voters turned out to vote, and 99.9 percent of those who voted approved the National Front list. [1] Within the Front, the Communists had a large majority of 216 seats–147 for the main party and 69 for the Slovak branch.

Czechoslovakia 1918–1992 country in Central Europe, predecessor of the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Czechoslovakia, or Czecho-Slovakia, was a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until its peaceful dissolution into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993.

National Front (Czechoslovakia) coalition of parties which headed the re-established Czechoslovakian government from 1945 to 1948

The National Front was the coalition of parties which headed the re-established Czechoslovakian government from 1945 to 1948. During the Communist era in Czechoslovakia (1948–1989) it was the vehicle for control of all political and social activity by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ). It was also known in English as the National Front of Czechs and Slovaks.

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia Political party in Czechoslovakia

The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was a Communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Comintern. Between 1929 and 1953 it was led by Klement Gottwald. After its election victory in 1946 it seized power in the 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état and established a one-party state allied with the Soviet Union. Nationalization of virtually all private enterprises followed.

These was the last elections held under the Ninth-of-May Constitution. A month after the elections, the new National Assembly approved a new Constitution.

The Ninth-of-May (1948) Constitution was the second constitution of Czechoslovakia, in force from 1948 to 1960. It came into force on 9 May, shortly after the communist seizure of power in the country on 25 February 1948. It replaced the 1920 Constitution. Work on the new document had been underway since the summer of 1946. As a result, it was not a fully Communist constitution, and was superficially similar to the 1920 Constitution; indeed, many elements were directly carried over from the earlier document. However, it was close enough to the Soviet model that President Edvard Beneš refused to sign it and resigned. It was flagrantly violated by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ), the government and many individuals throughout the period of its being in force, especially regarding the provisions on private ownership and human rights.

1960 Constitution of Czechoslovakia

The Constitution of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, promulgated on 11 July 1960 as the constitutional law 100/1960 Sb., was the third constitution of Czechoslovakia, and the second of the Communist era. It replaced the 1948 Ninth-of-May Constitution and was widely changed by the Constitutional Law of Federation in 1968. It was extensively revised after the Velvet Revolution to prune out its Communist character, with a view toward replacing it with a completely new constitution. However, this never took place, and it remained in force until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992.

Results

PartyVotes%Seats
National Front Communist Party of Czechoslovakia 9,059,83899.9147
Communist Party of Slovakia 69
Independents43
Czechoslovak Socialist Party 19
Czechoslovak People's Party 16
Party of Slovak Revival 4
Freedom Party 2
Against12,7750.1
Invalid/blank votes12,819
Total9,085,432100300
Registered voter/turnout9,115,01399.7
Source: PSP, CZSO

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References