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The Czech Republic’s longest-ever recession has come to an end. Preliminary figures just released by the Czech Statistics Office show that the economy grew by 0.7 percent in the second quarter of 2013. The upturn is the first recorded after six straight quarters saw contraction.

The Civic Democratic Party (or ODS) has been the dominant political party on the centre-right throughout its 22-year history. But over the last few years, its position gradually changed with defeats at the national and regional levels piling up and a corruption scandal hitting the former prime minister in June. With early elections slated for the autumn, can the party stop its freefall? And is there anyone among the Civic Democrats who can turn the party’s fortunes around?

The prime minister of the caretaker government, Jiří Rusnok on Tuesday handed his resignation to President Miloš Zeman, a week after his cabinet failed to win approval from the lower house. Mr Rusnok and his ministers will however remain in power until after the next general election.

With the lower house set to vote on its dissolution next week and a general election likely to take place in October, Czech political parties are scrambling to finalize their candidates’ lists and making last-minute decisions on their election campaign priorities. In addition to the usual slogans, a new topic is expected to dominate the campaign: the role of the president in Czech politics.

Next Friday Czech MPs will vote on whether to dissolve the lower house with the aim of setting up early elections. Four parties capable of putting together the constitutional majority required have - at least on paper – agreed that early elections are the next step. But will the vote in the end be in favour? And what can we expect from President Miloš Zeman?

The Czech Republic appears to be on course for early general elections after Wednesday’s failed vote of confidence in the interim government exposed fissures in the previous coalition, which had been hoping for another crack at power. The alliance has now fallen apart, with the votes of former member TOP 09 set to tip the balance and bring about the dissolution of Parliament.

Wednesday’s vote of confidence in the caretaker government made clear several new realities on the Czech political scene. The country has moved closer to early elections with enough MPs saying they will now support the move. But despite “his” government’s failure to win approval, the vote seems to have reinforced President Miloš Zeman’s dominant position. I discussed the outcome of the vote with commentator Erik Best.

Only a few days ago the head of the Social Democratic Party Bohuslav Sobotka was resolute that the caretaker government – more or less handpicked by the president – should not be given legitimacy. But pressure from within, whipped up by deputy leader Michal Hašek and a strong pro-Zeman faction, proved stronger. Mr Sobotka backed down, and in doing may have radically changed his party’s course.

Last week’s sacking of Jan Burian as head of the National Theatre and subsequent backtracking is a situation which has not been fully resolved. Although Mr Burian agreed to tentatively return to the post after Culture Minister Jiří Balvín rescinded his decision, for some – namely top management at the theatre and actors who quit in protest– Mr Burian’s return will not be enough.

Co-designed by the world famous architect Frank Gehry and the locally based Vlado Milunic, the Dancing House is Prague’s best-known and most distinctive modern building. Now the riverfront structure, which sharply divided opinion when it was completed in the mid 1990s, is set to go on sale.