Zeman confirms dissolution of the lower house

President Miloš Zeman signed a document on Wednesday officially dissolving the lower house of parliament, roughly a week after MPs voted in favour of the motion with 140 votes. It was the first time that the Czech Chamber of Deputies had decided for its own dissolution. The president has scheduled early elections for the last weekend in October – the 25th and 26th. Politicians have begun gearing up for campaigns; a number of new or newer political parties will vie to get into the lower house along with long-established parties, among them Citizen’s Rights – Zemanites, the Greens, Sovereignty, ANO or LES (launched on Tuesday by former environment minister Martin Bursík).