Senate (Czechoslovakia)
The Senate ( Senát ) was the upper house of the Parliament of the First Czechoslovak Republic from 1920 to 1939, with its seat in Prague . In addition to the Senate, there was also the House of Representatives as a second chamber in the bicameral parliament .
prehistory
As a result of the Paris suburb agreements , Czechoslovakia was formed from parts of Austria-Hungary in 1918 . The Czechoslovak National Committee was constituted as a provisional parliament and adopted the constitution of the Czechoslovak Republic on February 29, 1920.
Another legal basis for the election of the House of Representatives and Senate was the law of February 29, 1920 on the composition and scope of the Senate.
The Palais Thun , the meeting place of the dissolved Bohemian Landtag , was chosen as the seat of the Senate .
elections
The election, to which men and women aged 45 and over had the right to vote, was held in 12 constituencies.
| No. | Constituency | No. | Constituency | No. | Constituency | No. | Constituency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I. | Prague | II. | Königgrätz | III. | Jungbunzlau | IV. | Whim |
| V. | Pilsen | VI. | Brno | VII. | Moravian-Ostrava | VIII. | Turtz-St. Martin |
| IX. | Liptov | X. | Eperies | XI. | Neuhäusel | XII. | Uzhorod |
150 senators were elected. Among them were representatives of the German minority , which made up 24.1% of the nationwide population, the Hungarians and the Ruthenians. The elections took place one week after the elections to the House of Representatives.
| Election date | Legislative period |
|---|---|
| April 25, 1920 | May 26, 1920 to October 16, 1925 |
| November 23, 1925 | December 17, 1925 to June 28, 1929 |
| September 3, 1929 | December 12, 1929 to April 11, 1935 |
| May 26, 1935 | June 18, 1935 to March 16, 1939 |
According to the Munich Agreement , the mandates of the 31 senators, who had their seat in the areas ceded to the German Reich, ceased to exist on October 30, 1938, provided the mandate holders were not Czechs, Slovaks or Ruthenians. In the end the chamber still consisted of 96 senators.
Chairperson
- Cyril Horáček : May 26, 1920 - July 13, 1920
- Karel Prášek : July 13, 1920 - February 14, 1924
- Václav Donát : February 14, 1924 - February 18, 1926
- Václav Klofáč : February 18, 1926 - November 30, 1926
- Mořic Hruban : November 30, 1926 - December 12, 1929
- František Soukup : December 12, 1929 - March 21, 1939
Post-history
A parliamentary republic was formed after the Second World War , and then a People's Republic in 1948. A unicameral parliament existed here . In 1993 a new Senate was created in the Czech Republic .
literature
- Mads Ole Balling: From Reval to Bucharest. Statistical-Biographical Handbook of the Parliamentarians of the German Minorities in East Central and Southeastern Europe 1919–1945 . 2nd Edition. tape 1 . Copenhagen 1991, ISBN 87-983829-1-8 , pp. 249 .