News

President Klaus ready to accept old-new coalition government

President Vaclav Klaus has said he is ready to accept an old-new coalition government based on a 101 vote majority in Parliament. The possibility of setting up a three party coalition government of Social Democrats, Christian Democrats and the Freedom Union turned into a reality on Thursday when the designated Prime Minister Stanislav Gross managed to secure a slim 101 vote majority in the Lower House. It is a slim majority, but it is something I feel I should accept, President Klaus said.

Concern over slim majority

Although Mr. Gross claims that his new Cabinet will have enough support to survive the remaining two years in office, the razor thin one vote majority has evoked concern even among members of the three party coalition. The Christian Democrats seem particularly concerned about the stability of the Freedom Union and the readiness of all Social Democratic party MPs to back the emerging government. Christian Democrat leader Miroslav Kalousek has urged the designated Prime Minster to get a commitment in writing from all coalition deputies, stating support for the future government. Mr. Gross said he was confident that his party's deputies would all back the government.

Wind and rainstorms lash Czech Republic

Wind and rainstorms that lashed the country overnight have caused damage across the Czech Republic. Trains were running behind schedule on Friday and some roads were closed as emergency crews worked to clear the roads of fallen trees and debris. Damaged roofs, flooded cellars and in one case even a fire caused by a bolt of lightening kept firemen and maintenance crews busy throughout the night and morning. The extent of damages caused has yet to be estimated.

Karlovy Vary Film Festival nears its end

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is nearing its end. The awards ceremony will be held at a gala evening on Saturday night. The week long festival, which attracted over 100.000 people, showed several hundred films and documentaries from around the world, many of them premieres. Among the stars who made an appearance at the festival were Harvey Keitel, Elijah Wood, John Cleese and Jacqueline Bisset.

Weather:

The weekend is expected to be overcast with showers and day temperatures between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius.