Current Affairs | All stories

Czechs are digesting the results of the weekend's Senate and municipal elections. The vote appeared to be a resounding victory for the right-of-centre Civic Democrats, who went through to the second round in 26 of the 27 Senate mandates being contested, and will also gain more council seats than any other political party. But will the results loosen the deadlock in national politics?

The Velvet Revolution may have led to the fall of Communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989 but it was not until this weekend that the Communists lost their hold over a small village in the north-east of the country. Close to 80 percent of the electorate of Sonov went to the polls to give a new party a chance to bring about change. Dita Asiedu reports:

History is repeating itself. For the second time in six months Czechs are going to the polls amidst unfolding corruption scandals which concern the two chief rivals on the Czech political scene - the centre-right Civic Democrats and the centre left Social Democratic Party. It is important for people to go to the polls since elections to a third of the Senate could tip the constitutional balance of power - but political analysts predict that disgruntled Czechs may decide to vote with their feet.

Czechs go to the polls this Friday and Saturday. They're casting their ballots in municipal elections and to elect one-third of the upper house of Parliament, the Senate. The elections will not affect the make-up of the legislative body, the Chamber of Deputies, and yet all five parliamentary parties are eagerly awaiting the results. As Dita Asiedu reports, the weekend's developments could influence the ongoing government negotiations and the next presidential election:

The interior ministry announced it was banning a small far-left group on Wednesday, saying its manifesto violated the Czech constitution. An interior ministry spokeswoman said the group - the Communist Youth Association - was striving to replace the private ownership of the means of production with nationalisation, which, she said, was unconstitutional. So was the ban fair? Dr Josef Skala is a foreign policy adviser to the Communist Party.

In mid-June, two adventurous travellers from southern Bohemia hopped into their 17-year old Skoda Rapid and sped off. 12,900 kilometres later, Petr Goldmann and Petr Vavrik arrived in the Russian Far East. The men were inspired by the famous Czech duo Jiri Hanzelka and Miroslav Zikmund, who travelled the world in their Tatra car four decades ago.

For weeks now, tensions between the Russian Federation and Georgia have been rising. After four Russian citizens were charged with spying in Georgia earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin turned up the pressure, imposing sanctions against the southern neighbour. Public transport as well as the postal service between the two states has been stopped, and Georgians can not longer get visas or work permits for the Russian Federation. In the two weeks since the sanctions were imposed, Russia has deported 700 Georgians and closed dozens

Roma, or gypsies as they're sometimes known, are known for their talent as musicians. This week the city of Pilsen plays host to a new festival showcasing Roma music. We sent reporter Ilya Marritz, who found out they aren't making songs the way they used to.

Earlier this week Antonin Charouz - the controversial Czech businessman and former race car driver - proposed a new project for Prague that has apparently gained backing of a number of city officials, including Mayor Pavel Bem: that Prague see the construction of a prestigious new racing circuit. On Monday Mr Bem attended a presentation by the businessman at city hall, the new track in Prague but also a hockey arena, a hotel, shopping venues, and more. Could it become a reality?

Just days ahead of the country's senate and local elections yet another corruption scandal has exploded on the Czech political scene. Jana Hybaskova, leader of the European Democrats, a small centre-right party has accused two Civic Democratic Party ministers and a deputy for the governing party of corruption.