Archive: Domestic affairs | Politics Politics
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
Demonstrators hold protest happenings in front of Education and Culture ministries
Demonstrators gathered outside of two government ministries on Tuesday to
protest against government reforms and austerity measures. The all-day
happening (which included outdoor concerts, theatre and public debate) was
organised by student activists and union reps behind the Stop the
Government movement. Already the event, the first of five planned over the
next two weeks, has drawn criticism from the prime minister. More
Immunity Committee votes unanimously to strip Rath of immunity
The Parliamentary Committee on Mandates and Immunity on Tuesday voted
unanimously to recommend MP David Rath be stripped of immunity and
prosecuted for corruption. After a two-hour meeting with Dr Rath, and
studying part of the police evidence against him, the parliamentarians were
unconvinced of his claims of a conspiracy against him and his not knowing
he had received a box full of bribery money. Many of them shared new
details of the arrest, evidence and the condition of the fallen governor
himself. 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
Farmers announce protests over plans to slash diesel tax rebates and new wine tax
The Czech Republic will see another round of protests against the
government’s austerity measures. Agriculture industry leaders on
Wednesday announced they would block roads and slow traffic in protest of
plans to cancel tax rebates on diesel for agricultural firms, and a planned
introduction of a tax on wine. More
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