http://radio.cz/en Latest articles on 'Domestic affairs' - current affairs in the Czech Republic en Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:00:15 +0100 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:00:15 +0100 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Radio Prague CMS   http://radio.cz      http://radio.cz/assets/imgs/radiopraha-rss.png   200   200 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Radio Broadcasting cr@radio.cz (Cesky Rozhlas) webmaster@radio.cz (CRo Webmaster) http://radio.cz/en/article/155038 The Czech Senate voted on Monday afternoon to file charges of treason against the outgoing president Václav Klaus. Heads of all of the ruling coalition parties have expressed disapproval of the move, with the Prime Minister insinuating that it was a vindictive move from the opposition-controlled senate. RP asked political analyst Jiří Pehe about what will be the fallout from the senate's decision. Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:00:15 +0100 urn:uuid:80a4e89f-f87a-5128-9670-b14cb6d40974 http://radio.cz/en/article/155017 Lawmakers in the Czech Senate began deliberations on Monday to decide whether or not to press treason charges against the country’s president, Václav Klaus, who steps down in four days’ time. A group of senators tabled the vote in response to a number of steps taken by Mr Klaus while in office, including the declaration this year of a highly-controversial amnesty. Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:35:07 +0100 urn:uuid:7724dcae-7594-55b3-a554-dc5343ff10b5 http://radio.cz/en/article/154939 A group of MPs in the lower house are drafting a new bill on legalising prostitution – the third such attempt in recent years. Prostitution in the Czech Republic exists in a sort of legal grey area; prostitution itself is not illegal, but most of the infrastructure surrounding it - brothels, pimping and so on – is. Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:35:41 +0100 urn:uuid:4be5b11b-9841-5cfa-a1db-164b19aa7ecf http://radio.cz/en/article/154906 A complaint to the Constitutional Court against outgoing president Václav Klaus is set to be discussed by the Czech Senate. The charge, which accuses Mr. Klaus of treason over a controversial amnesty he declared at the start of the year, made the agenda of the upper house when the requisite support was acquired on Tuesday. Its backers say a ruling would help define the president’s powers in the future. Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:18:50 +0100 urn:uuid:cf934c6b-c6f8-5322-9ea1-ca0a46cd6046 http://radio.cz/en/article/154885 The prime minister has begun to take aim at his party’s flagging fortunes which have been on a marked downturn since last year’s regional and senate elections. Prime minister and Civic Democrat leader Petr Nečas was in Pardubice on Monday, one stop on his regional tour aimed at boosting support among local leaders. Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:59:40 +0100 urn:uuid:d8ae8d02-a98b-5aff-a971-8f54027c6a13 http://radio.cz/en/article/154861 Monday marks the 65th anniversary of the communist putsch of 1948 which for the next four decades turned Czechoslovakia into a totalitarian state and a satellite of the Soviet Union. The anniversary is being commemorated by a series of events, warning against the Communists’ growing support in the society. Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:53:51 +0100 urn:uuid:3dda4ffc-4728-52b6-bab1-5f1a9cfb9c87 http://radio.cz/en/article/154820 On Friday, the Czech government moved to cement a deal on church restitutions that the opposition Social Democrats are challenging at the Constitutional Court. Prime Minister Petr Nečas and representatives of 16 churches signed bilateral agreements under which the state will pay them financial compensation to the tune of 59 billion crowns over a period of 30 years. Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:27:27 +0100 urn:uuid:5eafbb1a-280a-5002-965c-198066c815cb http://radio.cz/en/article/154780 The wide-ranging amnesty declared in January by the outgoing Czech president, Václav Klaus, continues to cause controversy. On Thursday a public hearing on the subject was held at the Senate, where an unprecedented legal move has been considered – charging President Klaus with high treason. Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:19:49 +0100 urn:uuid:7ae0e7a4-e81f-5a0e-b1e9-bf91698468d9 http://radio.cz/en/article/154738 The opposition Social Democrats have lodged a constitutional complaint against the law on church restitutions in a last-ditch attempt to scupper an agreement that continues to divide Czech society. Their decision to challenge the law is perfectly legitimate, but some of the arguments behind it have raised eyebrows. Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:30:13 +0100 urn:uuid:d714d7be-bfe6-5372-bf99-43e80d871aa6 http://radio.cz/en/article/154707 Recent scandals involving members of the Czech lower house have prompted a response from their colleagues. Lawmakers are now debating legislation that would strip deputies of their salary and other benefits if they are sentenced to jail. The lower house also backed an amendment to the Constitution which would strip convicted MPs of the mandate. Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:37:21 +0100 urn:uuid:f7fc1f12-b682-5c79-a837-2c4eb204da2a http://radio.cz/en/article/154627 The Czech Republic is one of three countries in the world that allows companies to issue anonymous bearer shares which has long been considered a major hurdle in the fight against corruption. Czech lawmakers have now moved to end the practice – but draft legislation that would reveal bearer shares’ owners was stalled in the lower house this week when it ran into subtle opposition by a group of Civic Democrat deputies. Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:48:19 +0100 urn:uuid:05c79736-fee1-57dc-9079-73afb3b48bbe http://radio.cz/en/article/154600 The lower house of Parliament on Wednesday approved a bill which would abolish lawmakers’ lifelong immunity from prosecution. Under the present amendment deputies and senators would only have immunity for the duration of their mandate, unless their peers vote to strip them of it. Although the bill’s approval is seen as a step in the right direction, its fate in the Senate is far from certain. Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:53:30 +0100 urn:uuid:2cd118e5-6667-5d91-85f1-298991d313e3 http://radio.cz/en/article/154563 The incoming president of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman, has unveiled his official portrait. The photo will hang in state offices and some classrooms after he takes office. In the Czech Republic, as in other countries, the official portrait is something of an institution; but the new official photograph, at least in several respects, breaks with tradition. Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:41:29 +0100 urn:uuid:5d1c6d68-4c45-5345-9e5f-7a1e886e2f3b http://radio.cz/en/article/154455 President-elect Miloš Zeman on Tuesday launched a series of high-level meetings with the country’s political leaders. The talks are intended to set the framework for future cooperation and heal the rifts of a ruthless election campaign. Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:00:11 +0100 urn:uuid:5d699a30-a158-59d1-bb9d-4508be45a06e http://radio.cz/en/article/154440 The first Czech direct presidential election has divided the nation like never before. In the heated campaign ahead of the election’s second round, leftist Miloš Zeman presented himself as a defender of the underprivileged, exploiting his opponent’s alleged lack of “Czechness” in the process while those who backed the aristocrat foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, believed his victory would move the country away from post-communism. So how important was the social vote? What role did nationalism play in the election? And what impact will it have on Czech politics? Those are some of the issues I discussed with my guests, sociologists Ivan Gabal and Tereza Stöckelová. Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:31:18 +0100 urn:uuid:3e1b064d-18ef-5f13-84d4-a2f71ac19648 http://radio.cz/en/article/154298 Within hours of being elected president, Miloš Zeman called for early parliamentary elections, leading to speculation about the chances of Petr Nečas’s right-of-centre coalition serving its full term. Now the embattled prime minister is coming under pressure from within: TOP 09, perhaps buoyed by their chairman’s showing in the presidential vote, on Tuesday issued a demand that opens a fresh fissure in the government. Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:53:31 +0100 urn:uuid:43859911-088f-5c3f-9ece-a5a49e164cd7 http://radio.cz/en/article/154256 Miloš Zeman’s victory in the country’s first direct presidential election has highlighted some deep divisions in Czech society. A large part of the future president’s support came from voters in rural areas and small towns, while his rival, Karel Schwarzenberg, won the backing of city-dwellers, higher income groups, and young people. In this special edition of One on One, my guest Jiří Pehe discusses these divisions, Miloš Zeman’s appeal to Czech voters – and the main factors behind his triumph. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:56:12 +0100 urn:uuid:cde55521-9166-52a7-9a5b-efc9500613d6 http://radio.cz/en/article/154251 Within hours of becoming the first directly elected head of state of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman made it clear that he has no intention of being a docile occupant of Prague Castle. Indeed, Mr. Zeman immediately questioned the legitimacy of the coalition government – and called for early parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, elements within his former party are also bracing themselves for trouble from the president-elect. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:41:22 +0100 urn:uuid:e3fa0793-4ebd-576b-913b-fb457014a30c http://radio.cz/en/article/154227 Miloš Zeman is set to become the first directly elected president in Czech history. Following a divisive campaign, the former Social Democrat prime minister defeated his second-round rival, Karel Schwarzenberg, by 55 percent to 45 percent. The outgoing head of state, Václav Klaus, has welcomed the result. Sat, 26 Jan 2013 18:38:49 +0100 urn:uuid:55eddbb8-03fa-5079-8d76-eed359c277fa http://radio.cz/en/article/154230 Miloš Zeman was the favourite against Karel Schwarzenberg in the presidential election so his win did not come altogether as a surprise; all the same, observers expected it to be a good deal closer. Radio Prague spoke to political analyst Petr Just about the result. Sat, 26 Jan 2013 18:38:49 +0100 urn:uuid:6ac31bde-6c41-5952-a5c1-241797cea663