News

Miloš Vystrčil of the Civic Democrats party has today been elected as Speaker of the Senate for the fourth time, running unopposed and receiving sixty-two of the seventy-nine votes cast. The number of votes won by Mr. Vystrčil was eleven fewer than in the last election two years ago.

Mr. Vystrčil was elected to the position for the first time in February 2020, succeeding Jaroslav Kubera, who had died suddenly a month earlier. Prime Minister Petr Fiala was also in attendance today at the Senate’s first session after the September elections. In his address to the assembled senators, PM Fiala acknowledged the importance of the Senate’s work, which protects society's most important values, namely freedom and democracy.

The Czech economy grew by 1.3 percent in the third quarter of 2024, compared with previous years, according to preliminary estimates by the Czech Statistics Office published on its website. Quarter-on-quarter, the gross domestic product increased by 0.3 percent. Analysts were expecting slightly higher growth.

The growth of the economy was mainly a consequence of household consumption expenditures, which, according to the Czech Statistics Office, have been increasing continuously since the beginning of the year. It was supported primarily by the trade, transport, accommodation, hospitality, finance and insurance sectors. By contrast, the decline in the industrial sector continued.

The ruling parties reached a compromise on the controversial pension reform bill ahead of its third reading in the lower house, which began on Wednesday. The retirement age will gradually increase by one month a year over the age of 65 after 2030 and will be capped at 67. About 15,000 people employed in high risk professions will be able to retire early without losing money. The original proposal was for the high-risk professions to encompass more than 127,000 people but that was abandoned in favour of a slower increase in the retirement age. Among the professions that will be able to retire early are foundry workers, welders, grinders and metallurgists. On the other hand, glassmakers, assembly workers and nurses will not be entitled to early retirement.

The queer film festival Mezipatra, which takes place in Prague and Brno, will open on 7 November at the Lucerna cinema in Prague with Yolanda Zauberman's French documentary La Belle de Gaza. The program includes 25 feature films and 48 shorts, with ten feature films competing for the main prize. This year's edition of the festival will be held under the motto Queer Liberates. According to festival director Pavel Bicek, the aim of the Mezipatra festival is to present the lives of queer people in the  broadest possible context.