Position of Democratic Club No 47

Concerning the request of the president of the Czech Republic about redefinition of the standing of the Constitutional Court

On September 7 th 20I0 the president of the Czech Republic delivered a speech in which he, beside other things, requested redefinition of the position of the Constitutional Court in our constitutional system because, according to his opinion, it usurps greater juriusdiction than it is due. Having examined the articles of the constitution defining the position of the Court, Democratic Club arrived at a conclusion that these articles do not give the Court more jurisdiction than necessary to fulfil its function of explaining the constitution and maintaining balance between the accepted legal acts and the Constitution. In this way it secures the balance between the three components of the democratic power which is common within developed democracies. At the same time we do not believe that any of the decisions, so far accepted by the CC, may have transgressed the rights which it had been entrusted by the constitution.

The president’s request to respect the authority of “the parliament as a sovereign power and primary source of any further power within the state – including executive and judicial power“, intervenes with the principle of the people’s sovereignty in a democratic state as well as with the principle of separation and balance of the three components of power, the enforcement of which is generally considered a condition of democracy. We are convinced that to recede from the present level of authority of CC would mean breaking the balance between legislative, executive and judicial power, thus undermining the liberal character of Czech democracy.

For these reasons we call upon the parliamentarians and senators of the Czech parliament not to accept suggestions of redefining the standing of CC.