• Expert on constitutional law says president in power grab
    01/11/2014

    Czech constitutional law expert Jan Kysela has rounded on what he describes as head of state Miloš Zeman’s expansive and interventionist interpretation of his role. Kysela added that political parties should stand up to the president and put him back in the place allotted to him in the latest battle over Cabinet nominations. Kysela said a series of acts and statements by president Zeman suggest he is out of step with the role intended for the head of state under the constitution. Social Democrat deputy chairman and foreign ministry nominee, Lubomír Zaorálek, has warned Zeman will create a quasi presidential system if he wins the latest battle.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Two way fight for Senate seat
    01/11/2014

    Christian Democrat and Civic Democrat candidates will go head to head in Zlín and Uherské Hradištĕ next week to fill the senate seat vacated by Tomio Okamura. The two candidates gained the most votes after polling closed on Saturday without anyone obtaining more than half the votes cast. The Christian Democrat won 23.36% of votes with his ODS rival on 16.52%. Okamura was elected to the lower house of parliament in elections last October.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Škoda Auto sees sales slip in 2013
    01/11/2014

    The Czech Republic’s biggest manufacturing exporter, Škoda Auto, fell short of the million car sales mark in 2013. The car maker announced sales of 920,800 for the year, down by 18,400 on its figure for 2012. Western Europe still represents its biggest single market with around four out of every 10 cars sold. The remainder of sales are broadly divided between central and eastern Europe on one hand and China on the other.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Top Czech hopes in easy draws
    01/11/2014

    Top Czech tennis singles hopes for the upcoming Australian Open have been given relatively easy opening draws. Men’s singles seventh seed, Tomáš Berdych, has been drawn in the first round against Kazakh Aleksandr Nedovyesov, who is ranked 92 in the world. Petra Kvitová, seeded six, will play Thai Luksika Kumkhum, ranked 87, in the women’s singles. Czech Klara Zakopalová has the chance of a famous scalp in her first round match against local favourite Samantha Stosur, seeded 17. The first Grand Slam event of the year starts on January 13.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • Silver for Karolína Erbanová
    01/11/2014

    Czech speed skater Karolína Erbanová took second place in the European championship 500 meters combined event in Hamar, Norway, on Saturday. The Czech appeared on track for her fifth gold medal in the event before a fall just ahead of the finishing line. That error meant she finished just three hundredths of a second behind first place Dutch rival, Ireen Wust.
    Author: Chris Johnstone

  • President to appoint Social Democrat leader prime minister next Friday
    01/10/2014

    President Miloš Zeman has announced he would appoint Social Democrat leader Bohuslav Sobotka prime minister next Friday. At a press briefing in Prague the president said Mr. Sobotka had fulfilled the task set, which was to put together a government which would have a stable majority in the lower house. As regards the appointment of the new government, Mr. Zeman said he believed this could take place by the end of January on condition that the lower house approved the draft civil service law in its first reading. This particular condition was given in view of the fact that the nominee for finance minister in the new government, ANO leader Andrej Babiš, has been unable to produce a clean screening certificate proving that he did not actively collaborate with the communist secret service. The new civil service law which is expected to replace the screening law would not address the issue.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • President has objections to some ministerial nominees
    01/10/2014

    The president cited objections to several ministerial nominees, such as not being properly qualified for the job or getting a suspect fast-track law degree at the Pilsen faculty of law within just nine months, which refers to the nominee for interior minister Milan Chovanec. Mr. Zeman said he hoped the prime minister in waiting would address his objections.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • President meets with prime minister in waiting
    01/10/2014

    The country’s future prime minister met with President Zeman later on Friday to hand over a copy of the coalition agreement signed on January 6th. After the meeting Mr. Sobotka said they had further discussed the prime minister’s reservations regarding some ministerial nominees, but that he did not consider those objections serious enough to warrant a change of plan.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Leaders of future coalition welcome president’s announcement
    01/10/2014

    The leaders of the future coalition government have welcomed the president’s announcement. ANO leader Andrej Babis said it was good news for the whole country that a government could be in place by the end of the month and that he was certain his party’s nominees would convince the president in due time that they were up to the tasks ahead. Pavel Belobradek of the Christian Democrats welcomed the president’s intention to meet with all ministerial nominees in person.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Social Democrat leadership says government line-up should remain unchanged
    01/10/2014

    The Social Democrat leader called a meeting of the party’ s leadership on Friday for a debate on the present political situation. The meeting focused on the president’s objections to a number of ministerial nominees with which the prime minister is acquainted. Lubomir Zaoralek, who is nominated to the post of foreign minister in the nascent government, said the president’s stated reservation were petty and none of them justified making changes to the government line-up.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

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