MPs resume postal vote bill reading after 14-hour opening debate

After a short overnight break, MPs resumed the second reading of the postal vote bill for Czechs living abroad on Friday. The first day of the debate on Thursday went on for 14 hours, only stopping for the night at 1am due to filibustering by the opposition. Friday is expected to be no different, as around 20 MPs are still registered to speak.

The coalition government wants the bill passed before the next parliamentary elections in autumn 2025, saying it would strengthen Czech citizens' right to vote by providing them with more options. However, the opposition fears that votes could be manipulated or interefered with if sent by mail. Radek Vondráček from the opposition ANO party told Czech Television that they plan to use all the legal instruments available to prevent the proposal from being passed before next fall.