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With Prime Minister Petr Nečas stepping down, there are a still a number of different scenarios according to which the current government crisis may be resolved. What is clear is that it all hinges on President Miloš Zeman, who has the power to appoint a new prime minister or even a new government all together. Radio Prague spoke to the political analyst Jiří Pehe and asked him what could realistically happen next.

Prime Minister Petr Nečas bowed to mounting pressure from the opposition and his own coalition partners on Sunday, announcing his decision to step down over a scandal that has shaken the government to its foundations. The move, which has effectively brought down the coalition government, has plunged the country into a period of political uncertainty almost a year ahead of scheduled general elections.

What is being described as one of the Czech Republic’s biggest ever political scandals has seen more astonishing twists. The most remarkable development has been the charging of the prime minister’s chief of staff with using the country’s military intelligence chiefs as a kind of personal spy service. But despite these damning accusations, the prime minister is stoutly resisting calls for his head.

Minister of Culture Alena Hanáková has announced that she is to step down at the end of the month. Even though she had come in for much criticism in arts circles, no immediate reason for her departure has been made clear.

A raid by the country’s organised crime unit at the Office of the Government and several other institutions has sent shockwaves throughout the country. Among those detained are former Civic Democrat MPs and a close aide to the prime minister. The scandal has rocked the Czech political scene and there is speculation it could result in the government’s fall.

The police are pushing for a ban on the sale of alcohol over the internet in the Czech Republic, which last year saw dozens of deaths caused by illegally produced spirits. As greater emphasis is placed on the provenance of booze, officers say stocks of alcohol sold online are very hard to police. For their part, retailers say such a ban could cost them huge sums of money.

This Tuesday marked the end of the first 100 days in office for President Miloš Zeman. Radio Prague spoke with political analyst Jiří Pehe about what was surprising about President Zeman’s actions during these past three months, and how we can asses them.

New lagoons and ponds left over from recent floods in parts of Bohemia are proving fertile ground for mosquitoes. Officials have so far registered the most in the areas of Třeboň, south Bohemia and Mělník, north of Prague. Potentially more dangerous are mudslides in areas where the ground was thoroughly inundated.

At a traditional ceremony in Prague on Tuesday, President Miloš Zeman elevated 58 academics to the esteemed position of university professor. The notable absence of literary critic Martin C. Putna, upon whom the president refused to confer the title in person, caused uproar among Czech academics and even led some nominees to boycott the ceremony.

The weekend brought no respite for the thousands of people evacuated from their homes in last week’s devastating floods. Torrential rain and hailstorms swept through central and north Bohemia causing flash floods in places previously considered safe and complicating clean-up work in areas where water-levels had been receding.