• Social Democrats rule out support for new cabinet
    01/05/2007

    The Social Democratic Party has ruled out support for the proposed centre-right government. Following a meeting of the party's executive leadership, party boss Jiri Paroubek said his Social Democrats would not enter into talks on supporting or even tolerating the centre-right coalition government since both its line-up and policy programme were incompatible with his party's priorities.

    Party leader Jiri Paroubek on Thursday met with President Klaus and proposed his own solution to the drawn-out political crisis. He said that if the prime minister's second attempt at forming a government failed, his party would be open to negotiations on a coalition between the two strongest parties and the Christian Democrats. He said that in this manner the country could avoid a constitutional crisis.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Lower house chairman to resign at the end of the month
    01/05/2007

    The provisional Social Democrat chairman of the lower house Miloslav Vlcek has said he would, with all probability, resign from his post on January 30th. Before his election to the post of chairman Mr. Vlcek pledged to give up the job if two attempts to form a government failed. That was because it is the chairman of the lower house who will have the task of selecting a prime minister designate for the third attempt and, as a Social Democrat, Mr Vlcek's choice would be open to allegations of a party bias. The parliamentary parties will need to reach some kind of consensus on who should succeed Mr. Vlcek and select the next prime minister.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • New road law proves effective
    01/05/2007

    A total of 157 drivers have lost their drivers licenses after receiving 12 penal points for traffic offences since a strict new road law went into effect in July of last year. Traffic police say penal points are most frequently given for speeding and drinking and driving. Both independent experts and traffic police agree that the new road law has significantly influenced drivers' behaviour and statistics show a steady decline in the number of road deaths.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Civic Democrat regional organisations say chairman should go if government fails
    01/04/2007

    A number of Civic Democratic Party regional organisations are calling on Mirek Topolanek to step down as leader if his latest attempt to form a government fails. Prime Minister Topolanek has signed a coalition deal with the Christian Democrats and the Greens. The same three parties failed a vote of confidence in October; they would need the support of at least one left-wing rebel to pass a confidence vote.

    Prague Mayor Pavel Bem - first deputy chairman of the Civic Democrats - said Mr Topolanek should allow somebody else to try to form a government, if the proposed coalition fails again.

    Mr Topolanek on Wednesday apologised for publicly criticising several senior party figures, including Mr Bem, President Vaclav Klaus and outgoing finance minister Vlastimil Tlusty.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Next Czech contingent in Iraq to face more dangerous conditions
    01/04/2007

    Czech soldiers returning from Iraq say their replacements will be working in more dangerous conditions. Almost 40 Czech military police officers returned to Prague on Thursday, completing a tour of duty which began in December 2003. Their commander Ladislav Tvrdy said that while his officers had trained Iraqi police on bases, the next Czech contingent will have to accompany the Iraqis between stations, putting themselves at increased danger.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Two thirds against US missile defence base, suggests poll
    01/04/2007

    Almost 65 percent of Czechs are opposed to the idea of a United States missile defence base being built in the Czech Republic, suggests an opinion poll commissioned by the Foreign Ministry in December and quoted in Mlada fronta Dnes on Thursday. The US is set to decide in the early part of this year whether to build the site in the Czech Republic or Poland.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • 2006 ninth warmest year since records began
    01/04/2007

    Temperatures in the Czech Republic in 2006 were 0.6 degrees Celsius higher than the average over the last 30 years, according to figures released on Thursday by the Czech Hydrometeorlogical Institute. It was the ninth warmest year since 1775, when the weather station at Prague's Clementinum began keeping records.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Cech set for early return as club Chelsea struggle
    01/04/2007

    Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech could make a return to competitive football as soon as January 20. He has been out of action since sustaining a skull fracture in October. Cech had been expected to return in mid February. But the manager of his club Chelsea, Jose Mourinho, says the Plzen-born star needs to return as soon as possible, after a run of poor results.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Stepanek out of Adelaide tournament after second defeat
    01/04/2007

    Radek Stepanek has been knocked out of tennis's Adelaide International. After losing to Vince Spadea of the US, the Czech player was beaten by Russia's Evgeny Korolev in the tournament's round-robin group stage.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Paroubek to inform Klaus about Social Democrat coalition government proposal
    01/03/2007

    Social Democrat chairman Jiri Paroubek is due to meet President Vaclav Klaus on Thursday to inform the president of the latest proposal by his party regarding the solution to the ongoing political crisis. The Social Democrats expect the new cabinet of Prime Minister Topolanek will not receive a vote of confidence from the lower house, therefore the party is offering a coalition agreement to the Civic Democrats and the Christian Democrats for a third attempt to form a government since inconclusive elections in June. If the two parties do not accept the proposal, the Social Democrats say they are ready to form a minority cabinet and seek a vote of confidence.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

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