President and Senate argue over Lisbon treaty

The Czech president and the Senate are engaged in a war of words over the ratification of the Lisbon treaty in the Czech upper chamber last week. Shortly after the vote, President Klaus said the treaty’s ratification was a failure by the country’s political elite to defend Czech interests. On Monday Senate chairman Přemysl Sobotka hit back, reminding the Czech president that the upper chamber was a sovereign legislative body to which Mr. Klaus owed his reelection as head of state. Earlier, Senate Deputy Chairwoman Alena Gajdušková voiced the opinion that impeachment proceedings could be started against the president if he failed to respect Parliament’s decision and sign the Lisbon treaty. Mr. Klaus has made it clear he would not be signing the Lisbon treaty any time soon, and pronounced it to be “dead” on the grounds of the Irish referendum.