Archive: Domestic affairs | Political parties Political parties
MP David Rath fails to convince lower house of his innocence
The Czech Parliament had not seen the like of it – a member of
Parliament, held in police custody on corruption charges, was escorted to
the lower house where he tried to convince his fellow MPs of his innocence.
Such was the scene that unfolded in the Czech Chamber of Deputies on
Tuesday when MP David Rath accused everyone from the interior minister to
the police and prosecutors from destroying his career. But Mr Rath’s
speech failed to impress his colleagues who handed him over for
prosecution. More
Jindřich Šídlo – one of the country’s most prominent political journalists, part II
In last week’s One on One, we brought you the first part of this two-part
interview with Jindřich Šídlo, a political analyst and commentator who
currently writes for the daily Hospodářské noviny. Given that he has
been covering Czech politics for some 20 years, we spoke to him about the
latest corruption cases, the future of politics in this country and if he
ever gets tired covering the Czech political scene. More
Government approves bill banning bearer shares
The government of Petr Nečas approved a bill that will regulate bearer
shares and allow authorities to identify their owners. If passed by
Parliament, the anti-corruption measure, which was announced by Deputy
Prime Minister Karolína Peake on Wednesday, will force companies to
register bearer shares in a central depository kept by the stock exchange,
or deposit them with banks. More
Billboard vandal temporarily released from prison
A former public transport worker – found guilty of defacing public
property – was released from prison on Thursday, 67 days short of his
100-day sentence. The justice minister had filed a complaint in the man’s
favour in the hope that the court would determine once and for all whether
defacing a campaign poster constitutes a crime or just a misdemeanour. His
release may only be temporary, pending the decision. More
Czech communists re-elect Vojtěch Filip as party chair
Amidst growing public support, the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
elected a new leadership at a party congress in Liberec at the weekend. The
re-election of the pragmatic incumbent chair, Vojtěch Filip, reflects the
dilemma the party faces: modernization could rob it of support by communist
hardliners while a more radical approach would make it unappealing to the
growing numbers of voters disillusioned with the centre-right Czech
government. More
Defiant David Rath remains in police custody
As Czechs are slowly digesting the shocking case of the Social Democrat
politician David Rath, more details emerge about his arrest and the crime
he allegedly committed. The opposition MP and governor of Central Bohemia
was arrested on Monday with seven million crowns in his possession. While
Mr Rath maintains his innocence, he has been charged with corruption, and
remains in detention. More
Prominent Social Democrat MP charged with corruption
One of the most prominent figures of the opposition Social Democratic
party, MP and Central Bohemian governor David Rath has been charged with
corruption. Mr. Rath was arrested on Monday night along with seven other
people in a large-scale police operation that is believed to be linked to
abuse of EU funds. More
Efforts to regulate lobbying won’t achieve much, says lobbyist James de Candole
Czech lawmakers have been consistently criticized for being prone to
lobbying, for instance when it comes to the regulation of gambling,
roadside advertising and smoking in public spaces. As part of its efforts
to clamp down on corruption, the Czech government is now working on a bill
that should regulate lobbying. If approved, this law would define lobbying
and require lobbyists to register. RP discussed the proposed legislation
with James de Candole, a Prague-based consultant and lobbyist, who believes
it will bring no significant improvements. More
Czech parties struggle with first ever presidential primaries
Less than a year before Czechs take to the polls to directly elect their
president for the first time in history, some of the major political
parties have begun choosing their candidates. However, both the ruling
Civic Democrats and the opposition Social Democrats seem to struggle with
the process: the former party’s most hopeful candidate quit the race
before it even began, while one of the latter party’s picks is hesitant
to run for them. Commentator Erik Best says this reflects the parties’
mixed feelings about direct presidential elections in the first place. More
Government wins confidence but its position weakens
The Czech government has survived a vote of confidence in the lower house
of Parliament. On Friday, 105 out of 198 deputies voted in its support. The
vote revealed that besides the Civic Democrat and TOP 09 parties, the
cabinet can also rely on those deputies who quit the Public Affairs party,
and at least three MPs who remained members of the former junior coalition
partner, which now sees itself as “constructive opposition”. But
despite the safe majority in the lower house, the centre-right cabinet
might now find it harder to push through some of its reforms bills,
according to analyst Jiří Pehe. More
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