News

Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Rychetsky has the most support among the Social Democrats, as talks continue to find a joint coalition candidate for president. The party's leader, Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla, said on Tuesday afternoon that all three parties in the governing coalition would discuss the issue soon. The news followed earlier reports that two of three people being considered by the governing parties had announced they would not stand for the post of president. The chairwoman of the Academy of Sciences, Helena Illnerova, was the first to drop out, followed by the president of Charles University, Ivan Wilhelm. The other name under consideration was academic and cancer specialist Pavel Klener.

The Czech Republic is currently without a president, following the departure of Vaclav Havel and two failed attempts by parliament to elect a successor in January. It is expected that a third bicameral vote will be held, though no date has yet been set.

The trial of a former high-ranking Communist functionary accused of treason has been postponed indefinitely. The judge hearing the case at Prague Municipal court ordered the case be sent to a higher court when a lawyer for defendant Karel Hoffman accused her of being biased. Mr Hoffman, who is now 78, is accused of ordering the stopping of radio broadcasts on the night of the Soviet-led invasion in 1968. He has said the case against him is politically-motivated, and that in reality he is being tried for his belief in socialism.

Outgoing President Vaclav Havel has officially transferred 'presidential powers' to Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla and the speaker of the Lower House Lubomir Zaoralek. Mr Havel's mandate ends on Sunday, February 2nd at midnight, leaving the Czech Republic without a president for an interim period. Two election attempts in January were inconclusive, with none of the candidates in the running finding enough support in a joint session of parliament to get elected. The presidential powers are passed on to the Prime Minister and speaker of the Lower House according to the constitution - both Prime Minister Spidla and house speaker Zaoralek stated on Sunday they would use the 'powers' conservatively to ensure the smooth running of the state. For the time being Mr Spidla will fill the presidential role on the international stage, signing international agreements, serving as commander in chief of the country's armed forces, and addressing foreign diplomats. Mr Zaorelek, on the other hand, will take up presidential duties at home, gaining the authority, for example, to name judges to the constitutional court, to name members to the council of the Central Bank, and to call a referendum on EU accession.

President Vaclav Havel has officially accepted the resignation of the head of the Czech Statistics Office Marie Bohata. Mrs Bohata resigned on Friday after the statistics body of the European Union - Eurostat - concluded that her office bore partial responsibility for a gross miscalculation of last year's economic indicators. Eurostat said the Czech Statistics Office and the Czech Customs Authority were both responsible for the release of erroneous foreign trade deficit figures for the third quarter of 2002. The accounting error - involving a sum of well over 1 billion dollars - forced a total re-evaluation of the Czech economy, including public finance and interest rates. Meanwhile, unofficial sources have told the Czech news agency CTK that Mrs Bohata's post will most likely be filled by a former deputy at the Statistics Office Jan Fischer.