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Party leaders decided earlier today that a second attempt to elect a president will take place next Friday - January 24th. This second poll follows Wednesday's inconclusive attempt to choose a successor to Vaclav Havel, who steps down in early February. But if this second attempt fails, parties will most likely begin the lengthy process of changing the constitution to allow a popular vote, something which enjoys overwhelming public support. But not all politicians are in favour of direct presidential elections - some say the current parliamentary

Czechs will be asked in June whether they want to see their country become part of the European Union. In the meantime all the chapters in accession talks have been closed and the Czech Republic has appointed its first envoy to Brussels. He is Pavel Telicka - the former chief negotiator - who told us what he thought about the accession talks. Katya Zapletnyuk reports.

The lower house of parliament has approved the deployment of the Czech army's biochemical warfare detection unit to join a possible war with Iraq. The unit, which participated in the 1991 Gulf War, has been training in Kuwait over the past year with the United States. The approval of the government bill means that the Czech Republic would only join a possible war with Iraq if it is supported by a United Nations mandate. Without the support of the United Nations the unit would only be allowed to provide civilian and military assistance in the event

Parliament's first attempt to elect a successor to President Vaclav Havel ended in failure on Wednesday, after none of the candidates managed to secure enough votes in the three-round poll. The whole process must now start again from scratch, but it's almost certain the country will be left temporarily without a head of state on February 2nd when Mr Havel steps down. Rob Cameron spent the day at Prague Castle, where the joint parliamentary session took place, and has this report:

Both houses of parliament met on Wednesday morning to elect a successor to President Vaclav Havel, who steps down in two and a half weeks time. While it was not at all certain who would win, one thing has been clear for some time - whoever succeeds Mr Havel will have a hard act to follow, particularly on the international stage.

This next item will be of special interest to listeners in North America who appreciate the performing arts: Sunday, January 19th, Czech Season in Canada, a year-long programme of theatre and dance events showcasing the talents of Czech performers, gets underway. Jan Velinger has this report.

Though President Vaclav Havel co-operated with the Communists in the period just after the Velvet Revolution, for many years the former dissident and political prisoner has chosen to ignore the Communist Party, and has used the term democratic parties' to refer to all the parties in parliament, minus the Communists. Will Mr Havel's retirement offer the Communists - the third biggest party in the Chamber of Deputies, and the biggest in terms of membership - the chance to win wider acceptance on the political scene? I spoke to the party's deputy

There is little question now that the Czech Republic will try and assist the US if it comes to a ground war against Iraq. On Monday the Czech cabinet, joined by outgoing Czech President Vaclav Havel, met in a four hour session to decide it would try and meet a US request asking for the use of the Czech Republic's elite chemicals detection unit, as well the use of Czech airspace and territory, for the stationing of US troops - if it comes to war.

A husband beat his wife severely and wrecked their apartment. He has been beating her for 6 years. She is desperate for help. This is just one of about 900 cases dealt with every year by the telephone helpline of the association ROSA, set up to assist victims of domestic violence. Now ROSA has brought out a book telling the stories of five Czech women who have survived hell. The question arises: is domestic violence being addressed properly in the Czech Republic? The following report was prepared by Katya Zapletnyuk.

One of the most controversial aspects of Vaclav Havel's presidency has been his use of the presidential power to pardon. Mr Havel has pardoned around 2,000 people, with some of those cases drawing a great deal of criticism. Now - as his term comes to an end - the president has been defending his actions. In an interview in the weekly newspaper Respekt published today, Mr Havel says that pardons are a question of personal conscience that essentially cannot be discussed. On the other hand, he believes that the power is a leftover from the days of