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The results of a referendum in Prague 7 which proposed two options on the future of gambling terminals and venues in the district are not valid due to low voter turnout. Only 25.2 percent of locals came to the polls - well short of the minimum 35 percent needed. The referendum presented two options: one of curbing the number of existing venues, the other, of introducing an outright ban. Of those who came to the polls, 3,330 people voted in favor of reducing gambling venues from 26 to 20, while 6,666 voted for ‘zero tolerance’. Even a conclusive result would still have needed approval from Prague City Hall.

The European elections are seen as second ranking by Czech voters, political scientist Tomáš Lebeda said in response to the apparent record low turnout. Speaking to the Czech News Agency, he said another factor was that part of the country's political elite were opposed to the European Parliament, which resonated with part of the electorate. Pundit Bohumil Doležal said the low turnout reflected the fact the elections had little impact on events in the Czech Republic. He added that they could however provide an indication of how local elections later in the year will go.

Speaking after voting in the European Parliament elections on Saturday morning, former Czech president Václav Klaus described the ballot as inauthentic and redundant. Mr. Klaus, a noted Eurosceptic, said he had voted with “great unease” and hesitated about going to the polls for the first time since the fall of communism. He said the low turnout was proof that more and more people were aware that attempts to centralise Europe were a mistake.

Eva Samková has become the first snowboarder to win the King of the White Piste, an award voted on by members of the Czech Ski Association. Samková took gold in boardercross at the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February. Speaking at the awards ceremony at Prague’s Žofín on Friday, Samková, who is 21, said she was glad to see that snowboarding was developing in the Czech Republic.