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Many pundits in the Czech Republic agree that this year's pre-election campaigns were - at least as far as the country's two largest parties were concerned - among the most aggressive in recent memory, the ruling Social Democrats and their opposition rivals the Civic Democrats vying for Czech votes. It is widely expected that one of these parties will form the country's next government. The campaign season was of course not just about those two - or their leaders Jiri Paroubek and Mirek Topolanek. But, in a way it might as well have been.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival may attract the most glamour and media attention but it is far from being the only film festival here in the Czech Republic. Indeed, while this year's Karlovy Vary will be the 41st, the Zlin International Film Festival for Children and Youth - which got underway on Sunday - is being held for the 46th time. Coilin O'Connor is in the south Moravian town for the festival. He told me all about it.

The Czech Republic is often criticised by the outside world for doing little to improve the living conditions of its Roma minority. It is hard for them to find work, many live in what amount to ghettos with very poor housing conditions, their children often end up in schools for kids with learning disabilities...the list goes on. But with up to 3 percent of the population Romany, why do Roma figure so little in the forthcoming elections? Dita Asiedu looks at the Roma community's political engagement:

Less than twenty-four hours before polling stations open for general elections the two strongest parties on the Czech political scene - the ruling Social Democrats and the opposition Civic Democrats - are running a very tight race. Although it is not clear which of them will be first past the post it is almost certain that neither will win enough votes to set up its own majority government. Coalition and consensus is the name of the game on the Czech political scene and political analysts are already debating the pros and cons of various coalition

The Volkswagen Group and Skoda Auto are planning to conquer the Russian market. On Monday, a contract was signed to build an assembly plant in the city of Kaluga, some 160 km southwest of Moscow. So how will this affect the Czech Republic? Skoda Auto is the Czech Republic's largest car manufacturer and has been in the Volkswagen Group since 1991. Some 27,000 Czechs are currently employed in the car giants' manufacturing plant in the town of Mlada Boleslav, north of Prague. Dita Asiedu reports:

At noon on Tuesday a group of students and their supporters staged a march to protest the National Library's sale of the Church of the Archangel St. Michael. The students feel that the church, in the heart of Prague's Old Town, should be preserved and not have been sold for secular and potentially blasphemous use. Radio Prague's Michael Longaro attended the march.

The Czech President Vaclav Klaus has given an extensive interview to the daily Mlada fronta Dnes, in which he hints at what steps he might take towards the creation of a new government, and also launches his strongest ever attack on the current prime minister Jiri Paroubek.

An exhibit devoted to the history of the Roma and Sinti Holocaust has opened in Prague's National Gallery. Entitled "The Roma Holocaust: the genocide of Roma and Sinti and racism in today's Europe," the exhibit is meant to bring to light aspects of WWII history not often mentioned.

Tuesday's front pages here in the Czech Republic are dominated by one story: a high-ranking police officer has dropped a political bombshell by alleging senior government officials, influenced by mafia figures, have been attempting to thwart police investigations. Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek has reacted angrily, saying the claims are politically motivated and designed to hurt his party's chances in this weekend's elections.

On Sunday the sad news reached the Czech Republic that the poet, novelist, translator and diplomat, Viktor Fischl, had died in Jerusalem at the age of 94. He was one of those twentieth century figures whose biography could run to many volumes, and still remain gripping. David Vaughan looks back at an extraordinary life.