Archive: Domestic affairs | Politics Politics
Political analyst: centre-right parties may self-destruct
Although opinion polls indicate that the vast majority of Czechs would like
to see early elections, embattled Prime Minister Petr Nečas has decided to
try and weather the latest crisis and will ask the lower house for a vote
of confidence in his government on Friday. Amidst speculation that he may
end up with a razor sharp majority, political analysts are questioning the
wisdom of trying to hold onto power at any cost. Radio Prague spoke to
Jiři Pehe about the repercussions this might have but - first and foremost
- the legitimacy of this new political set-up. More
Centre-right coalition faces confidence vote following departure of Public Affairs
The ruling coalition that won an unprecedented majority in the last
elections is a thing of the past. On Tuesday, the Public Affairs party,
decimated by the recent departure of a number of former members, left the
government. The centre-right cabinet now faces a vote of confidence to test
the strength of its support in the lower house. More
Thousands call on government to step down
This weekend saw thousands join an anti-government protest in Prague
calling for an end to the current government and its reform policies, which
critics call unnecessarily strict. The trade union-led demonstration saw as
many as 100,000 people come out - with the promise that unless the
government paves the way for early elections, protests will only be more
intense. More
Czech government’s future remains uncertain after party split
The fate of the centre-right Czech government hangs in the balance after
the junior coalition party Public Affairs split up, robbing the government
of its comfortable majority in the lower house. The newly emerging
pro-government faction around defector Karolína Peake is now trying to
rally enough deputies to secure a viable majority in the lower house, but
the key players on the Czech political scene are already preparing for
early elections. More
Peake quits Public Affairs
Influential politician Karolína Peake dropped a political bombshell late
Tuesday when she announced that she was leaving the smallest party in
government to found a new faction. The move has cast doubt on whether the
centre-right coalition still has a majority in the lower house needed to
govern. More
Pundit: Public Affairs has no future with or without Vít Bárta
The leadership of the junior coalition party Public Affairs is meeting to
debate the outcome of last week’s trial in which the party’s informal
leader Vít Bárta was found guilty of bribery. Although Mr. Bárta had
promised to pull out of high politics if he did not clear his name, he now
says he’ll keep his seat in the lower house and he thus remains a member
of the party’s deputies’ club. Radio Prague asked commentator Jiří
Pehe for his thoughts on how this latest development may impact the
government’s future and who is now actually running the smallest party in
government. More
Czech MPs Bárta, Škárka sentenced in bribery case
A Prague court on Friday delivered a verdict in one of the most
high-profile cases in recent years. The court found the unofficial leader
of the coalition Public Affairs party guilty of bribery, and fellow MP and
former Public Affairs chair of fraud. The case also highlighted the shady
practices within the Public Affairs party which has been behind a series of
government crises. More
Business analyst: government’s austerity plans should not undercut growth
The government on Wednesday approved far-reaching austerity plans to
gradually lower the gap in public finances to well below 3 percent of the
GDP. The strategy combines savings and tax hikes that are expected to
impact all strata of society. Radio Prague asked business analyst David
Marek whether such extensive austerity measures were called for and who
would bear the brunt of the fiscal reform. More
Government reaffirms commitment to extensive fiscal reforms
The centre-right Czech government weathered the latest in a series of
crises on Tuesday, putting aside its differences in the interest of what
the prime minister called its sole raison d’être – putting the
country’s finances in order. The three parties reaffirmed their
commitment to implementing budget savings and tax hikes which should bring
the budget deficit below 3 percent of GDP next year and down to 1.9 percent
in 2014. More
Coalition leaders likely to reach deal on government’s future
The fate of the Czech government will be decided later on Tuesday as
coalition leaders are meeting in an attempt to save the cabinet. The junior
coalition Public Affairs party rocked the boat once again last week when
they threatened to pull out of the coalition. But before the week was over,
the party seemed happy to accept an offer by the Prime Minister to settle
their disputes at the negotiating table while latest reports suggest the
coalition leaders are indeed likely to reach agreement. More
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