Republican Sládek arrested for campaigning after start of elections

Police in Chomutov, north Bohemia on Friday evening arrested the head of the Coalition for the Republic–Republican Party of Czechoslovakia, Miroslav Sládek, for continuing to campaign after the general elections had begun. A spokesperson for the force said the politician was facing misdemeanour charges. Mr. Sládek came to national attention in the 1990s when he was known for his attacks on the Roma minority while his Republicans were in Parliament. He disbanded the party in 2001 but reformed it last year. Pollsters gave the grouping no chance of entering the lower house at present.