Czechia - 87.34
20
An excellent recovery from the Iron Curtain
Considering the state that the country was in, Czechia’s recovery occurring so rapidly is quite impressive. Czechia has developed into one of the freest countries in the world and maintains a strong democracy committed to human rights. Czechia’s economy developed rapidly. A perhaps unforeseen benefit of Czechia’s Soviet-imposed socialism was that after a return to capitalism, the country would have some of the lowest economic disparity in the world. On the flipside, Czechia suffers from some of the most corrupt institutions in the EU. Czechia’s judicial system is one of the most corrupt in Europe, with a network of organized corruption passing bribes up the chain. After former media mogul Andrej Babiš ascended to the Prime Minister, he placed his media holdings in trust and allowed his cronies to run the media in his absence. Another thing setting Czechia apart from other EU countries is its very loose gun laws. The right to bear arms was enshrined in the Czech constitution in 2021 and fully-automatic weapons are obtainable after a very stringent background check process.
Human Rights - 88
Czechia has fully abolished the death penalty. Roma children often face discrimination when attempting to enroll in private schools. Racial discrimination in education is illegal, but this often goes unenforced in private schools. Trans Czechs can change legal gender after sex reassignment surgery. Czechia offers “registered partnerships” but gay marriage is illegal. Czechia does not allow same-sex joint adoption.
Democracy - 91
The largely ceremonial president is directly elected, and the prime minister is appointed by the president and approved by parliament. Prime minister candidates are usually announced before elections, so a vote for the president is effectively a vote for the prime minister. Parliament is directly elected. Elections are free and fair, with a strong multi-party system. LGBT and Roma face disenfranchisement to varying degrees throughout the country.
Freedom - 93
Media mogul Andrej Babiš was sworn in as prime minister in 2017 and placed his extensive media holdings in a trust controlled by his associates. The former holdings of Prime Minister Babiš are strictly regulated and never criticize the government. Journalists have been fired from these outlets previously owned by Babiš have been fired for criticizing Babiš, his associates, or the government. Media ownership in Czechia is highly concentrated, and most media coverage from outlets based in Czechia is highly partisan, portraying a specific political party positively over others. Actions of foreign media are not restricted and there are no formal restrictions on freedom of the press. Czech hate speech laws go unenforced. Drug use is not illegal and drug possession is punishable with a fine of no more than €550 or CZK 15,000. Czechia shall issue gun ownership licenses for semi-automatic rifles and handguns. Fully-automatic weapons can be obtained after a strict background checking process. Czechia shall issue concealed carry permits and may issue open carry permits under certain circumstances.
Economy - 99
Health - 92
Czechia has a life expectancy of 79 years and an infant mortality rate of 0.25%. 26% of Czechs are obese and 2.5% are malnourished. Czechia’s universal healthcare system is largely based on updated socialist infrastructure and provides free care to all Czech and EU citizens. 97.88% of Czechs have access to clean, running water. 28.5% of adult Czechs smoke regularly.
Corruption - 54
Czechia’s judicial system is one of the most corrupt in the EU. It is plagued by a network of organized corruption, where bribes are passed up the chain of command. Court verdicts are often worked out among lawyers involving exchanges of money before court even meets. Police bribery is rare but it does occur, and according to surveys by GAN Integrity people generally perceive the police to be more corrupt than they actually are. Public services sometimes must be bribed into action. Public contracts are very difficult to obtain without bribes and high-profile international corporations are very close to the government. Prime Minister Babiš and his cronies exert an almost total monopoly over media in Czechia. After ascending to Prime Minister, Babiš placed all his media holdings in a trust controlled by his associates, which continue to run an effective PR campaign for Babiš and his government.
Competency - 78
Czechia is failing to protect its Roma minority and enforce anti-discrimination laws. Czechia is also failing to prevent monopolies, as upon ascending to Prime Minister, Andrej Babiš and his associates established an oligopoly over the Czech media sector.
Future - 85
Czechia has made a rapid recovery from the Iron Curtain era, and this development looks to continue. Czechia’s economy has been growing steadily. It took a substantial hit due to COVID but will likely recover quickly.
Actions Abroad - 85
Czechia is a member of EU and NATO. Czech air force and special forces are trained by Israel, and Czechia supports Israel’s occupation of parts of the West Bank and military action in the Gaza Strip. Czechia is generally isolationist aside.
.0.2% of Czechs live under the international poverty line and 9% live under the national poverty line. 2.94% of Czechs are unemployed. Czechia has one of the lowest economic disparities in the world. Minimum wage in Czechia is $667 per month. Czechia maintains a very strong universal healthcare system, providing free care to all Czech and EU citizens. Hospital infrastructure is largely based on facilities built under the Soviet-backed socialist regime updated into the modern day. Czechia’s economy shrunk 5.6% in 2020 and grew 2.3% in 2019.