Prague ruling coalition divided over Charles IV “anthem”

Social Democrats who are part of the ruling coalition at City Hill have taken issue with plans next year for a new hymn or anthem celebrating the 700th anniversary of the birth of Charles IV, the Czech News Agency reported. Party members slammed the idea it might be written by Czech performer Daniel Landa, once a member of the skinhead band Orlík. City councillor Jan Wolf, representing the Christian Democrats/Three Party coalition, tried to clarify, saying that Mr Landa had only suggested the idea of an anthem, not that he had to write it. According to the city councilor, a jury will select a successful candidate from a broader list for the commission. Daniel Landa has sold 1.2 million records in the Czech Republic and has written several musicals, some of them drawing heavily on medieval settings and themes.