Archive: Domestic affairs | Politics Politics
De-facto leader of Public Affairs stands trial for corruption
The junior coalition party Public Affairs, which won seats in Parliament on
a strong-anti-corruption agenda, is facing a major test of its credibility.
The party’s de facto leader, former transport minister and present head
of the party’s parliamentary group in the lower house Vít Bárta is
standing trial on charges of corruption. The court hearings which began on
Monday will hear testimony from ministers and MPs and the outcome of the
much anticipated trial could shake the party in its foundations. More
Scattered oversight: the gaping loopholes in Czech public servant conflict of interest laws
A recent study by the pro-civic engagement charity Oživení found that of
five hundred disclosure declarations lodged by Czech politicians – MPs,
Senators and local officials - roughly a quarter had errors or issues
worthy of further investigation. Critics suggest that the current system
simply is not working and with an array of authorities across the Czech
Republic tasked with examining conflict of interest declarations – some
admit that they do not even have the resources to fully check what public
servants have declared. In addition, there are numerous loopholes that
appear to make the system highly ineffective. Dominik Jůn spoke with
Vladan Brož, of Transparency International and began by asking whether he
thought the current system was working. More
Czech 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
Deputies get off scot-free for breach of good manners
Is giving the finger to a fellow member of Parliament or calling him an
idiot acceptable? It is in the Czech Republic, at least according to MPs
themselves. The mandate and immunity committee of the lower house this week
dismissed two such cases, saying they would only resort to punishment if
the situation worsened. Radio Prague spoke to political analyst Karel
Müller from Prague’s University of Economics, and asked him whether we
should we come to accept such coarse behaviour. More
Czech foreign minister says he’ll walk out if Czechs do not join EU fiscal union
No sooner was the government dispute over church restitutions resolved, the
Czech government is racked by a new crisis. The leader of TOP 09, Foreign
Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has made it clear that unless the Czech
Republic joins the emerging European fiscal union his party would walk out
of the coalition government. This latest ultimatum has brought to a head a
long-simmering dispute in Czech foreign policy. More
Public Affairs told to accept restitution deal or leave government
Cracks in the three-party governing coalition appeared again this week, as
the junior Public Affairs party resisted approval of a church property
restitution deal. For the senior Civic Democratic and TOP 09 parties, the
deal is a major achievement that has been years in the making. When Public
Affairs, which questions aspects of the agreement, attempted to put
conditions on its support, the response was clear: approve the deal or
leave the government. More
Bureaucratic goof could cost country billions of crowns
What appears to be gross bureaucratic incompetence may cost the Czech
Republic billions of crowns. The country’s belated bid to become a party
in the ongoing criminal case against the former managers of the Czech
mining firm Mostecká uhelná, involving billions of crowns now frozen in
Swiss bank accounts - has been thrown out by a Swiss court, leaving the
Czechs out in the cold. More
Czech MPs approve direct presidential election
After years of debate, the lower house of the Czech Parliament on Wednesday
voted in favour of direct presidential elections. A last-minute deal
between the coalition and the opposition Social Democrats ensured
sufficient support for the motion; if approved by the Senate, it will allow
Czechs to elect their president directly for the first time in 2013 when
Václav Klaus leaves office. More
Culture minister resigns amidst corruption allegations
Czech Culture Minister Jiří Besser tendered his resignation to the prime
minister on Thursday amidst allegations of corruption and unethical
behavior. The minister said that while he was innocent of any wrongdoing he
felt that he lacked support in the cabinet and in his own party which would
allow him to defend his case. He is the seventh minister forced out of the
Nečas government since it took office in June of 2010. More
Former defence minister to be charged in corruption case
One of the most blatant corruption cases in recent years will end up in
court. Prosecutors in the north-eastern city of Ostrava have announced that
two people will be charged in the case of the 2006 purchase of Tatra trucks
for the Czech army. Although no details about the charges and the people
involved have been officially disclosed, a number of Czech media have
reported that former defence minister Martin Barták is one the two men
facing prosecution. More
+1
+10
