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Christmas is the season to be merry, and in many cultures it is also a season of giving. In the Czech Republic this is only a growing trend, and given the uncertain economic climate, charity is not necessary the first thing on people’s minds. Radio Prague spoke to Michael Stannett, the head of the Czech branch of the Salvation Army, or Armada Spasy, in Czech, and asked him if the current economic downturn has had a negative effect on how much people were willing to open their pocketbooks this Christmas season.

Rejected presidential candidate Senator Tomio Okamura on Thursday lodged an extensive complaint with the Constitutional Court against the election law that sets the framework for the country’s first popular vote. His protest, based on the claim that the law is unconstitutional, may jeopardize the first round of the election set for January 11 -12.

The country’s fragile centre-right government is once again teetering on the brink: a major crisis flared up on Thursday when the prime minister fired newly-named Defence Minister Karolína Peake, the head of the LIDEM Party, after just eight days in office. The leadership of the Liberal Democrats in response called on its ministers to quit the cabinet by January 10, threatening the survival of the government.

The pinnacle of Přemysl Sobotka’s political career to date has been his chairmanship of the Czech Senate. However, Mr. Sobotka, a euro-sceptic who questions multiculturalism, seems unlikely to reach the higher summit of the presidency – partly because he is the nominee of the Civic Democrats, whose long dominance on the right has waned.

Following a vote in the lower house, the Czech Republic’s two VAT rates should increase on January 1. However, if the president – a critic of the change – doesn’t play ball, the bill cannot come into effect, and, with very few working days left before the New Year, that uncertainty represents a major headache for Czech businesses.

Actress and civic activist Táňa Fischerová, one of the three female candidates running for president, is selling a dream: she is offering the disgruntled Czech public a vision of a better world. While some see her as a pioneer and a moral authority, others dismiss her as a hopeless idealist who would be eaten alive in the harsh world of high-level politics.

One of the strong favourites in the upcoming direct presidential election is Miloš Zeman, a former prime minister and ex-leader of the Social Democrats. He promises to be a “people’s president” who would unite and moderate political conflicts. However, some would say that in his long career, the prickly Mr. Zeman did very little of that.

The Prague High Court on Tuesday sentenced the former Civic Democrat MP Roman Pekárek to five years in prison for bribery and abuse of office. He is expected to begin serving his sentence in a few weeks time, but appears determined to keep his seat in the lower house of Parliament. The decision has caused an outcry since under Czech law he cannot be forced to give up his mandate.

Among the organizations keeping the legacy of the country’s first post-communist president alive is the Václav Havel Library, which was established back in 2004 but has boosted its activities since he passed away in December last year. This year the Václav Havel Library began expanding – starting the process of opening a branch in the United States. Masha Volynsky reports.

A series of events have been held in Prague and elsewhere in the Czech Republic observing the first anniversary of the death of Václav Havel, who led the country to democracy in 1989’s Velvet Revolution. The commemorations have included the unveiling of a new plaque to the late president at a statue of Woodrow Wilson in the capital.