Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research – 2006-10-18 00:37:00

(October 14, 2006) — Many adults in the Czech Republic reject a proposal to build a missile defence site in their territory, according to a poll by CVVM. 62 percent of respondents oppose the idea.

In December 2002, US president George W. Bush announced plans for the development of initial defence capabilities, which include ground-based and sea-based missile interceptors, as well as sensors located in space.

In 2004, the US approached the governments of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland as possible partners in the missile defence system. So far, three Czech military bases — located in North Moravia, Central Bohemia and South Bohemia — have been mentioned as possible locations for the construction of an anti-missile site.

Czech voters renewed the Chamber of Representatives on June 2 and June 3. The final tallies give the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), the Christian and Democratic Union — Czech People’s Party (KDU-CSL) and the Green Party (SZ) 100 seats in the lower house, with the remaining 100 seats going to the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) and the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM).

CSSD leader Jiri Paroubek has said the Czech Republic’s participation in the missile shield should be settled in a nationwide referendum. Conversely, ODS leader Mirek Topolanek believes the issue should be decided by elected lawmakers. 78 per cent of respondents support holding a public vote on the matter.

On Oct. 11, Polish presidential aide Andrzej Krawczyk discussed the current state of the missile shield project, saying, “The US Congress recently cut by 40 per cent the allocation of funds for missile defence, and the American military is complaining that it will be hard for them to create a missile defence system with so little. So this issue might stop being urgent.”

Polling Data
• Do you support or oppose the construction of a US missile defence shield base in the Czech Republic?
Support
24%
Oppose
62%

• Do you support or oppose holding a referendum to settle the issue?
Support
78%
Oppose
14%

Source: CVVM
Methodology: Interviews with 825 Czech adults, conducted in October 2006. No margin of error was provided.