The Czech Republic offers registered partnerships (registrované partnerství) for same-sex couples. Registered partnerships grant several rights of marriage, including, inheritance, hospital, spousal privilege, and alimony rights, but do not allow adoption, widow's pension, or joint property rights. The registered partnership law was passed in March 2006 and went into effect on July 1, 2006.[1][2] The country also grants unregistered cohabitation status to "persons living in a common household" that gives couples inheritance and succession rights in housing.[3]
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There had been several attempts to allow same-sex registered partnerships. In 1998, a registered partnership bill reached the chamber, but failed by two votes.[4] In 1999, the chamber voted against another bill.[5][6] In February 2001, the Government presented third bill, which was rejected by parliament in October 2001.[7][8][9]
On 11 February 2005, another bill failed by one vote. It was backed by 82 out of the 165 deputies present - most voting Social Democrats, Communists, the Freedom Union members and some deputies for the opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS).[10]
In April 2005, a new partnership bill passed its first reading in the chamber with 82 votes for and 9 against. On 16 December 2005, it passed its third reading with 86 votes for, 54 against, and 7 MPs not voting.[11][12][13] On 26 January 2006, it was passed by the Senate (65 for, 14 against).[14][15]
On February 16, 2006, President Václav Klaus vetoed the bill.[16][17][18] In response, the Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek said that he would seek a parliamentary majority (101 votes) in the lower chamber to override the veto and did so successfully on March 15, 2006 with the exact number of votes needed (101) out of 177 votes cast.[19][20][21][22] The bill became one of topics where political parties tried to position themselves before the June election. Opinion polls suggest that over 60 percent of Czechs support same-sex marriage or civil unions.
By the end of 2010, 1,111 registered partnerships had been conducted in the Czech Republic, 66 of which have been since annulled.[23]
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