News of Radio Prague
Ruling coalition loses majority in Upper House
The parties of the ruling coalition, the Social Democrats, Christian Democrats and the Freedom Union lost their majority in the Upper House of parliament after the second round of the Senate elections this weekend. Most successful were members of the opposition right-of-centre Civic Democrats and independent candidates. The government coalition won nine out of 27 contested seats and fell seven seats short of majority. Elections to the Senate are held every two years to replace one third of the Senators.
Analysts: Senate election results insignificant for political and economic developments
Analysts say the results of the Senate elections are not very significant for either political or economic developments in the Czech Republic. Although the ruling coalition lost a majority in the Senate, the opposition will be able only to delay the adoption of new legislation but not prevent it, because the lower house can override a Senate veto if the coalition partners are able to reach agreements between themselves. The distribution of power in the Upper House will only be crucial for the election of the next president, after Vaclav Havels second, final term in office expires in January.
Independent candidates win local elections
In the local elections this weekend, independent candidates won more than a half of seats in local administration bodies nation-wide whereas none of the five main political parties exceeded 10 percent. The Christian Democrats won most seats of all the established political parties 9.6 percent, although as far as the number of votes is concerned, the right-of- centre Civic Democrats of Vaclav Klaus came first in the elections with 25 percent of the vote and will dominate town halls mainly in bigger towns and cities.
U.S. to help protect Czech air space during NATO summit
The United States Government confirmed that it would provide the Czech Republic with air defence support during the NATO summit to take place in Prague later this month. This assurance came amidst reports that the United States might not provide its combat aircraft for guarding the Czech air space because of unclear liability for potential accidents and damage. The Czech government is to meet Sunday evening to approve a law which would define powers and responsibilities of both sides in the event of an emergency situation.
Most Czechs oppose a military campaign against in Iraq
According to a recent survey conducted by the RCA Research agency, 70 percent of Czechs oppose the idea of a U.S.-led military campaign against Iraq. The highest support for a military action to disarm Iraq was reported among university graduates and people between 25 and 34 years of age, support is also stronger among men than women.
Central bank launches credit register
The Czech National Bank has officially launched the Central Register of Loans, in cooperation with the Czech Banking Association. The register will enable banks to exchange information on loans provided to businesses. Commercial banks had been calling for the creation of a credit register for several years but its institution was not possible until private data protection issue had been solved.
Weather forecast
We are expecting a mostly cloudy day with rain, in higher altitudes with snow showers. The highest daytime temperatures should reach from 4 to 9 degrees Celsius.
