Related articles
Current AffairsCzech Parliament passes direct presidential elections
Czech citizens themselves will choose their next president in 2013 for the
first time in history. After years of public and partisan discussion, and
five final hours of heated debate on Wednesday, the Czech Senate passed a
Constitutional amendment allowing direct election of the head of state by
the people. As the current president, Václav Klaus, who called direct
elections a "fatal mistake", is unable to veto a constitutional
amendment, I asked political scientist Jan Outlý of the University of
Hradec Králové if anything at all can stop direct presidential elections
now. More
Current AffairsMPs complete legislation aimed at legalizing cannabis for medical purposes
A group of Czech MPs from all of the parties in the Chamber of Deputies has
completed legislation which could legalise the use of cannabis in the Czech
Republic for medical purposes. Currently, thousands of sufferers from
debilitating diseases such as Parkinson’s, Lyme borreliosis and multiple
sclerosis, have been forced to break the law to obtain marijuana to help
ease their pain, a situation which could soon change if the bill passes in
the lower house. According to reports, the medical use of cannabis in the
Czech Republic could be legal within the year. More
Current AffairsWar of words erupts in Prague over EU’s fiscal treaty
Top Czech officials have engaged in an unusually strong exchange of insults
over the government’s refusal to join the European Union’s new fiscal
treaty. Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, Prime Minister Petr Nečas and
President Václav Klaus engaged in a crossfire which has put more strain on
the fragile coalition government, and which illustrates the deep divisions
between the major Czech political forces in their stance on European
integration. More
Current AffairsCzech government refuses to join EU’s planned fiscal compact
The Czech government has refused to join the European Union’s planned
fiscal compact which paves the way for a closer coordination of fiscal
policies within the bloc. At an EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday, Czech
Prime Minister Petr Nečas cited “ratification issues” as the main
reason why the country will stay out of the pact, as the only EU member
state besides the UK. The Czech refusal has already caused a stir on the
domestic scene as Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said the move would
harm the Czech Republic’s interests. Jan Czech Radio’s former
correspondent in Brussels, Ondřej Houska summed up the reasons Prime
Minister Nečas gave to back his decision. More
+1
+10
+100
