1960 Czechoslovak parliamentary election explained

Country:Czechoslovakia
Flag Year:1960
Type:legislative
Previous Election:1954 Czechoslovak parliamentary election
Previous Year:1954
Next Election:1964 Czechoslovak parliamentary election
Next Year:1964
Seats For Election:All 300 seats in the National Assembly
Turnout:99.68%
Image1:Antonín Novotný 1968.jpg
Leader1:Antonín Novotný
Party1:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
Alliance1:National Front
Seats After1:147
Seat Change1: 25
Prime Minister
Before Election:Viliam Široký
Before Party:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
After Election:Viliam Široký
After Party:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia

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.

Non-Communist members appeared on the National Front list in order to keep up the appearance of pluralism. However, seats were allocated in accordance with a set percentage, and no party could take part in the political process without KSČ approval.[2]

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 that proclaimed "socialism has won" in Czechoslovakia, and changed the country's official name to the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The new document made democratic centralism a part of constitutional law and defined Czechoslovakia as a socialist state under the leadership of the KSČ, codifying the actual state of affairs that had prevailed since the 1948 Communist takeover.[3]

Notes and References

  1. http://osaarchivum.org/files/holdings/300/8/3/pdf/15-5-92.pdf National Assembly 1954-1960
  2. http://countrystudies.us/czech-republic/38.htm Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia: Stalinization
  3. http://countrystudies.us/czech-republic/38.htm Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia: Stalinization