Reactions to the new legislation

The right of centre four party coalition has expressed disappointment with the newly approved law, indicating that the governing Social Democrats and the Civic Democratic Party, who have a power-sharing deal, had once more joined forces to protect their own best interests rather than the interests of a free press.

The four party coalition failed to push through an amendment which would have made the supervisory board equally accountable to both houses of Parliament and the President.

Meanwhile, the Social and Civic Democrats have accused the four party coalition of whipping up a storm of hysteria to further their own political ambitions, claiming that freedom of the press in the Czech Republic was not at stake.