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President Klaus to call general elections at the end of May

President Klaus said on Monday he was planning to call the country’s general elections on May 28 -29 ie. at the farthest possible date. According to the Czech constitution the president is responsible for setting the election date and must choose a Friday and Saturday within the month preceding the end of parliament's regular term, in this case June 3.

The vote is expected to end a drawn-out political crisis which started with the collapse of Mirek Toplánek’s centre-right government in March of last year. Attempts to hold an early election were blocked by a court decision and a lack of consensus among political parties, keeping Prime Minister Fischer’s caretaker government in office much longer than expected and delaying important policy decisions on tax and spending reforms needed to cut a soaring budget deficit.

President Klaus will not sign any bills which could increase state deficit

President Vaclav Klaus also announced he would not sign any bills that might increase the 2010 budget deficit. The president made the statement after a meeting with Prime Minister Jan Fischer at Lány Chateaux, which focused predominantly on the country’s ailing finances. It emerged on Sunday that last year’s deficit was, at 195 billion crowns, over five times higher than the amount originally approved by the Chamber of Deputies.

The budget for 2010 envisages a record deficit of around 163 billion crowns, though that could rise considerably, due to spending promises won by the left wing parties in the lower house and further expected amendments. Mr Fischer, who has been calling for fiscal prudence, has said he will hold meetings to discuss the budget with individual leaders of the main political parties this month.

Explosion at rubber plant kills one, leaves fourteen injured

An explosion in a rubber plant in the town of Rudník, north-east of Prague, killed a woman and seriously injured four people. Eleven others were treated for lighter injuries. The accident happened at the Avon Automotive plant, which produces rubber parts for cars. Witnesses say two accumulators containing hot steam exploded, sending debris flying. As injured employees scrambled to get to safety, the roof of the factory collapsed. The explosion shattered windows in the vicinity and caused a power outage in the entire town. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

Asylum seekers will be able to pick their lawyers

A ruling by the Administrative Court will allow asylum seekers in the Czech Republic to pick their own lawyers as of January 1st, as opposed to having one allotted ex offo. The practice of courts choosing lawyers resulted in frequent problems, since they were usually selected at random and the language barrier meant they had to communicate with their client through an interpreter. Clients could not voice their concerns directly and often suspected that their lawyer was not defending their interests adequately in court. The new practice should boost asylum seekers’ trust in the system.

Towns and villages in nature reserves

Towns and villages located in protected areas and nature reserves should in future receive some form of compensation for having to meet stricter-than-average norms. In line with a government decision, which should be implemented with the start of 2010, such towns and villages should get preferential treatment when it comes to EU subsidies or local development funds. The association of towns in the Šumava National Park has welcomed the decision, pointing out that the status of a natural reserve brings a number of disadvantages – worse conditions for business, limits on construction, fewer job opportunities, and worse access to the protected area.

Busses come under attack

The police are investigating an attack against two buses in Prague’s Letnany district in the early hours of Monday. It appears that someone either fired a shot at the passing buses or threw stones. One of the busses has a hole in a side window, the rear window of the second bus shattered. No one was hurt in the incidents.

Man who killed patient in psychiatric ward has been charged with murder

A 43-year-old patient at a psychiatric unit who kicked another patient to death has been charged with murder. If found guilty, he will face up to 18 years behind bars. The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday at the Klárov teaching hospital in Prague, shortly after the attacker was brought in by the police after becoming aggressive and threatening members of his own family. The hospital claims that that it did not have a spare room where the man could be kept in isolation, but said the room he shared with other patients was monitored by cameras. The staff say the attack was so vicious they were unable to get to the man in time to prevent the murder.

Boatel for the homeless will take in people free of charge

The ship Hermes on the Vltava river which serves as a boatel for homeless people, offering shelter for a symbolic 20 crowns, has announced that in the course of the coming days it will take in homeless people free of charge and increase its capacity to 250 beds. The country is experiencing another bout of freezing cold weather with day temperatures well below zero and night time lows dropping to minus 17 degrees. Twelve people froze to death in the Czech Republic in December’s cold snap across Europe.

Prisoners released in connection with new criminal code

Close to 300 prisoners have been released from jail in the first days of the New Year in connection with an amended criminal code which has downgraded certain criminal offenses to misdemeanors. They include driving without a license, home production of alcoholic beverages and petty theft or poaching involving less than 5,000 crowns worth of damage. In view of overcrowded prisons the Czech judicial system is seeking alternative means of punishment for light offenders such as community service or a year-long ban on attending sports events in the case of football hooligans.

Weather

The coming days are expected to bring heavy snowfall and a bout of very cold weather with day temperatures falling to minus 7 degrees Celsius. Night time lows are expected to drop to minus 17 in places. Drivers heading for the mountains have been warned to expect icy roads and snowdrifts.