The Czech prime minister, Petr Nečas, has congratulated the incumbent Barack Obama on his victory in Tuesday’s presidential election in the United States. Mr. Nečas said cooperation between Mr. Obama’s administration and the Czech government worked very well and he believed the two sides could build on those good relations in the future. Meanwhile, the Czech president, Václav Klaus, told the news site Novinky.cz that while his heart beat on the right rather than on the left, he congratulated the American leader on his success.
The US ambassador to Prague, Norman Eisen, described the victory of Mr. Obama – who nominated him for the post – as a signal of continuity in his country. He said the Obama administration would continue its policies aimed at supporting a path out of the recession. Mr. Eisen hosted a party at the American Embassy in Prague that ran from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, with attendees following the results of the election as they came in on television. .
The Czech lower house approved a government tax bill in its final reading on Wednesday. Prime Minister Petr Nečas had tied a vote of confidence in his coalition government to the vote on a raft of tax changes, which includes an increase in VAT. The bill is crucial to the passing of the budget for next year, and the finance minister had drafted an alternative budget in case it failed.
Its approval was complicated by the position of a group of rebels within the prime minister’s own Civic Democrats. However, the rebellion fizzled out on Tuesday, when three of the deputies in question resigned their mandates and two said they would back the bill.
A Civic Democrat politician in line to replace one of three party deputies who have resigned insists he will take the post, despite the fact that he has been sentenced to a six-year jail term for corruption. Roman Pekárek has protested his innocence and appealed against the verdict. He has ignored calls from party colleagues to forego the seat in the lower house, and has not said he would do so if he loses his appeal.
The Czech minister of finance, Miroslav Kalousek, is set to ask the government to prepare the privatisation of the state-controlled carrier Czech Airlines, the news website Novinky.cz reported on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance said plans were afoot to launch a tender process with a view to finding an international long-term investor for Czech Airlines. Mr. Kalousek said price would be the most important criterion but not the only one. A previous attempt to find a buyer for the airline in 2009 proved unsuccessful.
The popular Czech cartoonist Vladimír Jiránek has died at the age of 74 after a serious illness. He was known for his political cartoons and illustrations in daily newspapers as well as an animator who helped create the much-loved children’s television characters Bob and Bobek and Pat and Mat.
Prague will get a new Christmas market this year, with one set to be held on the square Malé náměstí, a short distance from the traditional market on Old Town Square. The mayor of Prague 1 said on Wednesday that the local council did not want to see Christmas celebrations concentrated on one site, adding that he favoured the sale of traditional Czech goods, such as a pastry known as “trdelník”. A pedestrian zone was created on Malé náměstí earlier this year.
The Czech singer-songwriter Vladimír Merta is launching a new LP, entitled Nikdo v zemi nikoho (Nobody from the Land of Nobody), at a special concert at Prague’s Malostranská beseda on Wednesday night. Merta will be appearing alongside his old rock group Dobrá uroda, who last performed in 1989. The LP comprises fresh recordings of old songs alongside a number of new numbers.
The Czech men’s tennis number one Tomáš Berdych will lead the country’s team in the upcoming Davis Cup final in Prague. The team will also feature Radek Štěpánek, Lukáš Rosol and Ivo Minář. The Czechs were defeated by Spain in the final of the competition three years ago. This year’s final will take place on an indoor hardcourt at Prague’s O2 Arena the weekend after next.
The Czech Republic soccer squad for a friendly against Slovakia on November 14 will feature five uncapped players. Tomáš Kalas, Ladislav Krejčí, Bořek Dočkal, Martin Pospíšil and Michal Ordoš have received call-ups from coach Michal Bílek. Bílek has been forced to make do without several players, such as injured Arsenal midfielder Tomáš Rosický and goalkeeper Petr Čech, who is planning to undergo an elbow operation next summer and has been excused because of his club Chelsea’s busy schedule.
It should be cloudy with some rain over the next couple of days. Temperatures will reach a maximum of 11 degrees Celsius.
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