Some foreigners can vote in local elections

Foreigners who are citizens of the other 26 countries of the European Union with permanent residence in the Czech Republic will be able to vote and stand for office in local elections in October, according to the Ministry of the Interior. The current law on local elections states that citizens of countries with the appropriate bilateral treaties may participate provided they are 18 years of age and have permanent residence in the Czech Republic, however the ministry says that this currently applies only to EU nationals. Eligible foreigners must register to vote at the town hall of their place of residence by October 13. More than 56,000 non-Czech EU citizens have permanent residence in the country at present; nearly half of them are from Slovakia.