President Pavel visits lower house for first time in office

President Petr Pavel visited a session of the lower house of Czech Parliament on Tuesday for the first time since his election at the end of January.

In his address to the MPs, the Czech head of state said he was sometimes surprised by the intensity of the political battles in the Chamber of Deputies, which sometimes lead to its paralysis, and called for more tolerance between the coalition and the opposition.

Mr. Pavel also said the government and the opposition should agree on strategic priorities such as education, security and a value-added economy.