THE LISBON Treaty still faces a rocky road to ratification in the Czech Republic, even if it is declared legal by the country’s constitutional court.
A majority of the finely balanced lower house of parliament would probably approve the treaty, but the upper house – called the Senate – could prove more problematic.
It is the Senate’s queries about the treaty’s legality that the constitutional court is now considering, and senators belonging to the ruling Civic Democrats (ODS) are some of the staunchest opponents of the charter.
They regularly vote against Bills proposed by ODS leader and prime minister Mirek Topolanek, who supports the treaty, and align themselves more closely with President Vaclav Klaus, the founder and honorary chairman of the ODS, who is the fiercest Czech critic of the charter.
If both houses of parliament cleared the treaty, then Mr Klaus would be expected to sign it into law, but he is not obliged to do so within a certain timeframe, and could hamper the process by delaying his signature.
If the court rules that the Lisbon Treaty is not compatible with the Czech constitution, Mr Topolanek has indicated that he would seek to change the constitution. But he would struggle to garner the necessary three-fifths majority in both chambers of parliament – and would enrage Mr Klaus and his allies.