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Police in Chomutov, north Bohemia on Friday evening arrested the head of the Coalition for the Republic–Republican Party of Czechoslovakia, Miroslav Sládek, for continuing to campaign after the general elections had begun. A spokesperson for the force said the politician was facing misdemeanour charges. Mr. Sládek came to national attention in the 1990s when he was known for his attacks on the Roma minority while his Republicans were in Parliament. He disbanded the party in 2001 but reformed it last year. Pollsters gave the grouping no chance of entering the lower house at present.

The Czech president, Miloš Zeman, says this year’s elections to the Chamber of Deputies are neither crucial nor a turning point. After casting his ballot on Friday, Mr. Zeman told reporters suggestions that these elections were of unusual importance were “just an advertising campaign”.

The president said the only crucial elections in modern Czech history had been held in 1990, when people could vote freely for the first time in over four decades.

The head of state implied that he had cast his ballot for the Party of Civic Rights, a grouping he founded and whose title previously included the word Zemanites.

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.

Czechs are placing bets on the outcome of the general elections, the news site Novinky.cz reports. The betting fever has surpassed all expectations with people having placed bets to the tune of 80 million crowns, that’s 30 million more than in the 2013 presidential elections, the news site says.

People are betting on parties and individual politicians with the highest individual bet being 700,000 crowns on the victory of the Communist Party and 450,000 on the victory of the Pirates’ Party.

People can continue to bet even as voting takes place up until the official results are announced.

Czechs abroad will start voting in the country’s general elections on Thursday. Due to the time shift polling stations in some countries will open a day ahead of voting in the Czech Republic.

The first to cast their ballot will be voters in Brazil and Argentina, followed by those in Cuba, the United States and Canada. 108 polling stations will open around the world, mostly at Czech embassies and consulates but also at military bases where Czech soldiers are serving on foreign missions.

Some 10,000 Czechs voted in the last general elections four years ago.

In the Czech Republic voting is due to begin at 2pm on Friday and will end at 2pm on Saturday. Preliminary results are expected in the early evening.

New rules apply to the Czech elections to the lower house of parliament for the first time limiting parties budgets’ and making them declare funding and spending flows. But while it’s a step in the right direction, some flaws are still seen in the overall framework.

Less than five days ahead of the general elections, deputies in the lower house held a stormy nine-hour debate on the future of lithium mining in the Czech Republic, accusing the ruling Social Democrats of selling out the country’s national interests.

A Slovak court has once against put the spotlight on the communist era past of ANO leader Andrej Babiš. It’s verdict scrapping past rulings that cleared his name of being a secret police agent comes just over a week ahead of Czech elections.

Corruption watchdog and good government promoter, Transparency International, has released the results of its monitoring of Czech political parties’ openness about their funding and spending ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections.

Director David Ondráčka said the results broadly showed parties such as The Greens and Pirates as being the most open.

Traditional parties, such as the Social Democrats and Civic Democrats, occupied a mid-ranking position. The Realist party, the SPO party linked to president Miloš Zeman, and Freedom party scored worst.

Elections to the lower house of parliament take place on October 20 and 21.

A campaign has been launched aimed at encouraging first-time voters to go to the polls in general elections in a week and a half’s time.

Named Tvoje poprvé (Your First Time), it takes the form of a video featuring a number of figures popular with young people, including singer Tomáš Klus and activist documentary maker Janek Rubeš.

Alongside the video, the campaign’s website features an election “calculator” allowing young potential voters to work out which parties best represent their views.