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If the imminent Czech lower house elections have failed to enthuse a large part of the population so far then that appears doubly true for many young people. Figures suggest they could stay away from the polls in droves. And part of the blame seems to lie with the political parties themselves.

Public service broadcasters in the Czech Republic have begun airing party advertisements on Wednesday, just over two weeks before general elections. The ads will appear on Czech Television at 2 pm every day, while Czech Radio will broadcast spots at different times on three of its stations. Twenty-six parties are contesting elections on May 28 and 29. The Social Democrats are favorites to come first, while opinion polls suggest that two or more new parties could reach the five-percent threshold needed to enter the Chamber of Deputies

Czech Radio’s prime news channel Radiožurnál claims that it has proof the Social Democrats are buying support for their leaders at public debates and election rallies. Radiožurnál said two students had confirmed getting offers of 300 crowns to show vocal support for the Social Democrats and boo opponents at a debate broadcast by Czech Radio in the town of Ustí nad Labem. The Social Democrats have rejected the allegations as pure fabrication and in turn accuse their main rival, the right-wing Civic Democrats of paying people to come and disrupt Social Democrat rallies. President Klaus recently criticized the aggressive tone of campaigning ahead of May’s general elections, urging parties to turn to real issues.

Activities of right-wing extremists have dropped in the first three months of this year, according to a report by the Czech intelligence service, or BIS, released on Thursday. While the decrease is attributed to the ban of the far-right Workers’ Party, authorities says better police work has also curbed extremism-related crime.

Politicians across the board were shaken by a violent attack on the deputy leader of the Social Democrats, Bohuslav Sobotka, at an election rally in Brno on Wednesday. Mr. Sobotka had just finished speaking when he was approached and punched in the face by a man in the audience. His party has described it as an attack on freedom and democracy and blame their main rival, the centre-right Civic Democrats, for whipping up an atmosphere of hate and violence – something the latter deny. Sarah Borufka reports.

President Václav Klaus has condemned violence at pre-election meetings, saying it has no place in Czech democracy. The president discussed the issue on Wednesday outside the Czech Radio building, reacting to incidents a day earlier at two separate Social Democrat meetings. In one, held in Slaný, a group of students carried anti-Social Democrat placards, including one suggesting the assassination of party leader Jiří Paroubek. At a second meeting, in Kladno, an unknown assailant threw a litre-sized jar of pickled sausages but luckily hit no one. The Social Democrats had appealed to the president to react to the incidents.

Members of the country’s other largest political party, the Civic Democrats, have also condemned violence at party meetings, but the party’s election leader Petr Nečas suggested that the incidents could easily have been orchestrated by the Social Democrats in the run up to the election – an allegation the party has strongly denied.

The surprise political hit of the Czech general election campaign so far, the Public Affairs party, has come under the spotlight for another reason than its high poll ratings. Media attention has focussed on the party’s newly launched street patrols and its populist stance on law and order.

Czechs go to the polls in just under four weeks for elections to the lower house of parliament. As the deadline approaches, the two main parties have unveiled their final campaign plans. We assess the battle so far and the prospects ahead of the vote.

Czechs living in Europe and North America have expressed little interest in voting in general elections at the end of May. When the deadline closed on April 30, a total of around 1,300 Czechs had registered to vote in Belgium, the UK, Germany, Poland, Austria and Russia. Of the tens of thousands of Czechs believed to be living in the USA and Canada, fewer than 1,200 registered. Czechs living abroad first had the right to take part in elections in their native country in 2002, when 3,742 voted. Some 6,702 Czechs abroad cast their ballots in the next elections four years later.

Political parties in the Czech Republic marked International Workers’ Day. Hundreds of people attended a traditional May Day gathering held by the Communists at Prague’s Výstaviště exhibition grounds. Among those in attendance was Miloš Jakeš (88), who was general secretary of the Communist Party at the time of the Velvet Revolution in 1989. The Social Democrats, who are expected to finish first in elections at the end of this month, held a rally at the city’s náměstí Míru square. Jiří Paroubek was campaigning in Ústí nad Labem, meaning it was the first year he did not appear in the capital on May Day since becoming party leader. The right-of-centre Civic Democrats also held a pre-election event in Prague, drawing potential voters to the top of Petřín hill. May 1 is a state holiday in the Czech Republic.