Thursday, 20 June 2013
Politics | ČTK
Civic Democrats agree on Němcová as their candidate for prime minister

The Civic Democrat leadership has named Miroslava Němcová – until now the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies – candidate for prime minister. TOP 09 and LIDEM have said Němcová was acceptable for the post. However, it will be difficult to find a new chairperson of the Chamber of Deputies, Schwarzenberg and Peake agreed. Němcová said the decision to accept the candidature was not easy.
Prague | Radio Prague
Substation fire causes blackout in almost half of Prague

A fire at an electrical substation left many Prague's residents without power on Tuesday night.
National | Radio Prague
Nečas to face bribery charge?

According to documents quoted in the Czech media, the police believe that Petr Nečas, who stood down as prime minister on Monday, was personally involved in bribing former MPs.

National | ČTK
Women's congress demands flexible work, equality

Organisers of the first Czech women's congress yesterday turned to politicians with the demands of flexible forms of work, more nursery schools and day-care centres and equal remuneration for men and women in politics and company boards.
National | Reuters
Dozing prince a cult hero for disenchanted Czechs

It was a moment of high drama: the Czech prime minister stood up in parliament to try to salvage a political career torpedoed by the arrest of an aide, and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, sitting next to him, had dozed off.
Prague | ČTK
Spill on Vltava false alarm

The report of a toxic substance leak in the Vltava River on the outskirts of Prague that the city's police received on Tuesday evening was a false alarm and the water has not been contaminated.
Politics | ČTK
Czech politics example of moral misery, German press reports

Politics in the Czech Republic is a typical example of moral misery in the post-communist countries, the German daily Mittelbayerische Zeitung writes in a commentary on the current Czech crisis headlined "Political Gutters on the Moldau River."
News | RFE / RL
Czech police arrest alleged Georgian crime boss

Czech police have arrested an alleged high-ranking member of a Georgian organized criminal group.

Politics | The Economist
Resignation amid scandal

A scandal including a love affair, the abuse of secret services and alleged corruption swept away Petr Nečas, the Czech Republic's prime minister, and his centre-right cabinet nearly a year before elections were scheduled.
National | ČTK
First private artistic university may be established

The accreditation commission has approved the establishment of Czech first private artistic university with former National Gallery Director Milan Knížák as its rector.
National | ČTK
Gov't earmarks half a billion for road repairs after flood

The government earmarked another CZK 0.5 billion for the repairs of local roads after the recent flooding that hit the western part of the country, Transport Minister Zbyněk Stanjura (Civic Democrats, ODS) told journalists after a cabinet meeting yesterday.
National | ČTK
Dual citizenship signed into Czech law

President Miloš Zeman yesterday signed the citizenship law that introduces dual citizenship and defines the ways citizenship is acquired and lost.
Politics | ČTK
Zeman says his task as president is to promptly appoint new PM

The head of state's task is to quickly appoint a new prime minister, President Miloš Zeman said yesterday in his first public appearance after Petr Necčas's (Civic Democrats, ODS) resignation as PM.
Politics | ČTK
TOP 09, ČSSD fail to agree on solution to gov't crisis

The junior government TOP 09 and opposition Social Democrats (ČSSD), as expected, have failed to agree on the solution to the current political crisis after the resignation of Prime Minister Petr Nečas (Civic Democrats, ODS), the parties' leaders said yesterday.
Politics | Radio Prague
Coalition parties begin search for new prime minister

Following the resignation of Prime Minister Petr Nečas, the race is on to find a suitable successor from within the Civic Democratic Party. The Civ Dems, together with coalition partners TOP 09 and LIDEM, are looking to put forward a candidate within a matter of days who could renew the government and remain in power until regular elections next year.