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Current AffairsFormer supreme state attorney doesn’t have to apologise for “judicial mafia” claims
The Czech judicial system is supposed to be waging war on criminals, but
seems to be waging war on itself this week. The supreme state attorney
Renata Vesecká lost a high-profile libel case against her predecessor
Marie Benešová on Thursday, in a verdict that has cast new doubt on the
long-running saga of the corruption allegations against deputy Prime
Minister Jiří Čunek and placed the wobbly centre-right coalition under
even more strain.
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Current AffairsOutlook bleak for centre-right coalition amid Tlustý rebellion over church law
When Mirek Topolánek’s centre-right coalition government came to power
in January 2007, it held the slimmest majority – two seats - in
parliament, and has survived pretty much on a knife-edge ever since. But
this week it seems to have lost even that wafer-thin majority thanks to a
rebellion in Mr Topolanek’s Civic Democratic Party over the restitution
of church property. Now, newspaper commentators are predicting the
government’s inevitable demise.
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Current AffairsConstitutional Court rules on health fees
On Wednesday the Constitutional Court ruled that health care reforms
introduced by the government this year did not contradict the Czech
constitution. The ruling came six months after the opposition Social
Democrats and the Communists put forward petitions against the reforms,
which, as of January 1, have required patients to pay 30 crowns (almost 2
US dollars) for every visit to the doctors’. The verdict was close with
only 8 out of 15 members of the court ruling in favour.
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Current AffairsGovernment survives no-confidence vote
Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek’s centre-right government survived a
no-confidence vote in Parliament on Wednesday. The motion from the
opposition Social Democrats won only 98 votes out of the overall 199
deputies present in the 200-member lower house. The three party coalition,
which has been dogged by corruption scandals and weakened by internal
strife once again showed that at times of crises it stands united.
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Current AffairsChristian Democrat conference fails to give party new direction
Internal strife, corruption scandals, a lack of direction and dwindling
party membership – such is the present-day image of the Christian
Democratic Party, one of the three parties of the Czech governing
coalition. The party’s weekend conference was meant to address these
issues, but it brought no significant progress and has left political
commentators speculating on whether the party has a political future.
Daniela Lazarová spoke to commentator Jiří Pehe about what ails the
Christian Democrats and how it could affect the ruling coalition.
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