News

This Saturday afternoon polls closed bringing to an end two days of regional and Senate elections in the Czech Republic. The polls closed at two in the afternoon local time. As was widely predicated voter turn-out was on the low end of the scale, at around just 29 percent.

With the majority of constituencies in the regions now counted success for the right-of centre Civic Democrats, led by party chairman Mirek Topolanek, is certain.

In the race for regional governments the opposition Civic Democrats have garnered the greatest percentage of votes, leading in 12 out of 13 regions, which they are expected to win. The Communist Party, and the ruling Social Democrats came in 2nd and 3rd in voter preference. One region in south Moravia is being closely contested by the Christian Democrats.

In the Senate, meanwhile, 65 percent of the ballots counted show the Civic Democrats leading in 15 Senate races, while the Communists lead in 6, and the Christian Democrats in 4. Smaller party representatives are vying for the last two spots.

Senate run-offs will take place in two weeks' time.

Police have found the body of Stanislav Brunclik, a businessman abducted by kidnappers in late September. The abductors were paid several million crowns in ransom by the victim's father, but Mr Brunclik, who was 33, was never released. Following a police search lasting over a month the man's body was finally found buried in a forest in the Pardubice region of east Bohemia.

Police have already arrested two suspects in the case: two men in their mid-twenties; if found guilty of murder each could face between 12 and 15 years in prison, or could even be given extraordinary sentences of 25 years.

The Czech Republic, along with the other EU member states of the so-called Visegrad group, which includes Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland, has been urged by EU heads to meet Schengen zone standards as soon as possible over the next few years. Joining the Schengen zone will see the Czech Republic and other new EU member states drop state border controls with EU neighbours. On the final day of a meeting between EU heads in Brussels, Czech representatives set October 2007 as the likely date for the country to join the Schengen zone. Among other things, the widening of the zone requires a harmonization of protocol on asylum and illegal migration.

The polls opened at 2:00 pm this Friday in elections to the Czech Republic's regional authorities and Senate, with a third of the seats in the latter up for grabs. Polls close on Saturday. The votes represent the first electoral test of Stanislav Gross since he became leader of the Social Democrats. The spotlight will also be on the chairman of the opposition Civic Democrats, Mirek Topolanek, who has been under some pressure following an apparent fall in support for the party and an alleged bribery scandal.