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The Czech domestic counterintelligence and security service has once again highlighted Russian and Chinese espionage activities as among the most active in pushing their political and economic interests in the country. Stepped up cyberattacks and hacking formed part of the activities.

ANO, the winners of the elections at the weekend, have been meeting with the leaders of parties which made it into the lower house, with the aim of forming a new government coalition. But as was readily apparent, the negotiations have not been easy. Some of the smaller parties have already made clear they will head for the opposition benches while changes in party leadership are also likely.

The sexual scandal surrounding the powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has resonated all around the world, including the Czech Republic. Hundreds of women suffered sexual harassment in the past, including the Czech European Commissioner Věra Jourová, have joined the global initiative #MeToo campaign on social media to highlight the magnitude of the problem.

As election winner Andrej Babiš tentatively tests the waters with respect to possible coalition partners it is becoming increasingly clear that forming a stable government will not be an easy task. Why are so many parties reluctant to join him in government and what are the outlooks for the Czech Republic? Those are questions I discussed with political scientist Vladimíra Dvořáková from the Prague School of Economics and began by asking how difficult it may prove for Babiš to form a stable government.

ANO have begun talks on forming a government, but with so many parties pledging not to work with various other parties, a path forward seems elusive.

With the election results out, all eyes are now on the ANO party and its controversial leader Andrej Babiš who is likely to be tasked with forming the next government. Will the Czech Republic be headed by a prime minister who faces criminal charges and what are the possible coalition scenarios opening up? Those are issues I discussed with political scientist Jiří Pehe, and I began by asking who are the winners and losers of these elections.

The political map has been redrawn with elections that have seen ANO triumph, Okamura and the Pirates score big and the Social Democrats collapse.

Voters have begun going to the polls in general elections in the Czech Republic that will conclude at 2 pm on Saturday. Czechs have also been casting their ballots at the country’s diplomatic missions abroad.

One of the important issues discussed at the two-day EU summit in Brussels was proposed changes in the mechanism of EU decision-making, which would allow some EU members to push ahead with integration faster. For the Czech Republic, which is still outside the Eurozone, this could present a serious problem.

The Czech crown this week reached its strongest level to the euro since before the Czech Central Bank launched its intervention regime in 2013, when it climbed to on Wednesday. I discussed the current development – and the future outlook for the crown – with Patria Finance’s chief economist, Jan Bureš.