News

Foreigners who are citizens of the other 26 countries of the European Union with permanent residence in the Czech Republic will be able to vote and stand for office in local elections in October, according to the Ministry of the Interior. The current law on local elections states that citizens of countries with the appropriate bilateral treaties may participate provided they are 18 years of age and have permanent residence in the Czech Republic, however the ministry says that this currently applies only to EU nationals. Eligible foreigners must register to vote at the town hall of their place of residence by October 13. More than 56,000 non-Czech EU citizens have permanent residence in the country at present; nearly half of them are from Slovakia.

The government on Wednesday agreed to introduce standard school leaving exams at the end of the upcoming school year. Minister of Education, Josef Dobeš pushed for clearance for the controversial step, which has been discussed for the last 14 years. He argued it is a vital component of promised education reform and standards setting for the sector. Many schools, pupils and parents have opposed a standard exam for the around 100,000 school leavers a year saying it threatens the quality of local schools. Around 180 high schools signed a protest petition this year. Schools have until now been able to set their own exams with the results that standards vary across the country.

Pope Benedict XVI has given 25,000 euros, around 620,000 Czech crowns, to help Czech flood victims. News of the donation was released by the Bishop of Litoměřice, Jan Baxant. His diocese is one of the affected areas. The bishop sounded out the Vatican about possible help last week. The donations will be managed by the church’s local charity. The north of the country, particularly the Liberec and Ústí nad Labem regions were among the worst hit.

A Czech anti-drugs squad announced on Wednesday that it had seized a highly professional and well organised gang growing marihuana for sale in neighbouring countries. The police squad said 21 Vietnamese were detained. They are said to have organised production in large halls and were able to produce 1,400 kilograms of the drug a year valued at around 100 million crowns. Growing of small amounts of marihuana for personal use is no longer a criminal offence in the Czech Republic but can still attract a fine. Growing, possession and distribution of larger amounts is still a matter for the courts.