17.10.2025

Government formation delayed

The formation of a new government following the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic has been delayed. After the election winner ANO had already reached an agreement with the two smaller parties Motoristé (Motorists' Party) and the right-wing populist SPD on the distribution of ministries a week ago, the process was slowed down at the beginning of this week. This was due to the personnel proposals of the Motoristé party in particular, which met with strong public rejection. For example, the motorists had proposed their honorary chairman Filip Turek for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, the daily newspaper Deník N then published earlier posts by Turek on social media in which he made homophobic, xenophobic and openly racist comments. Some posts also glorified the Nazis.

Turek and his party leader Petr Macinka tried to give the impression that the quotes were not genuine. This also concerns Macinka himself, who is to become environment minister. Scientists and environmental organizations have already protested against this. Macinka is considered a close confidant of former President Václav Klaus, who denies climate change. Macinka had already announced that he wanted to rid the ministry of the "Greens", but Andrej Babiš, who is expected to be the next head of government, then asked the Motorists' Party to nominate non-party experts as ministers. The third partner, the SPD, had already announced similar plans. However, the Motorists' Party insists on appointing its own people.

Babiš has now drawn the conclusion and postponed the appointment of ministers. He announced that the future government would now first work on the program. This should be ready by the beginning of November. The constituent session of the new parliament will take place on November 3. Andrej Babiš has since conceded that the new government will probably not be sworn in until December.

However, Babiš also has to reassure people on other levels. A withdrawal from NATO or the EU, as demanded by the SPD in its election program, is out of the question. On Friday, he added that he also does not want to increase the budget deficit planned for 2026. The background to this is the decision by the outgoing government not to reintroduce the draft for 2026 to the new parliament. The draft had already been approved by the government and submitted to parliament before the elections. Sending the bill to the new parliament a second time is actually considered a formality. The government still in office had rejected this on the grounds that it did not want to be responsible for the spending increases announced by the ANO and SPD. However, this step would significantly delay the budget formation process and the Czech Republic would almost certainly start the new year with a provisional budget. In the meantime, however, President Petr Pavel has also spoken out in favor of re-submitting the prepared draft to parliament.

On the death of Ivan Klíma and Dana Drábová

The Czech Republic is mourning the death of two great personalities. On October 4, the writer and playwright Ivan Klíma died at the age of 94. He was one of the most successful Czech authors, whose works have been translated into over 30 languages. Klíma spent 3.5 years in the Theresienstadt ghetto as a child. The National Socialists had turned the former garrison town into a transit camp from where Jews were deported to the extermination camps in conquered Poland. Klíma survived the ghetto and later joined the Communist Party, from which he was expelled in 1967 due to his critical stance. After the suppression of the Prague Spring, he was banned from publishing. His works could only be published in samizdat (self-publishing) in his home country, but were translated and published abroad. His novels published in German included "Der Gnadenrichter", "Meine ersten Lieben" and "Meine fröhlichen Morgen". Klíma was a signatory of Charta 77 and received numerous awards after 1989. Of the famous three "Ks" of the Prague Spring (Milan Kundera, Ivan Klíma, Pavel Kohout), only the 97-year-old Kohout is still alive, according to an obituary.

30 years younger than Klíma was the nuclear physicist Dana Drábová, who died on October 6 after a long illness. Until the end, she used her X account to report on the current radiological radiation situation in Ukraine, where one of the largest nuclear power plants is occupied by Russian troops. Drábová had been the director of the Czech Nuclear Supervisory Authority since 1999 and was also regarded abroad as a renowned nuclear expert. She served twice as a member of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). She was also Chairwoman of the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA). She has also advised the Japanese government since 2018. Drábová played a key role in defusing the heated atmosphere, particularly between Austria and the Czech Republic, over the Temelín nuclear power plant, which was inaugurated in the early 2000s. In addition to her undisputed authority, she focused on maximum transparency and was also regarded as a respected authority outside the energy industry in the Czech Republic. She was active in local politics and repeatedly made political statements. At the beginning of 2023, for example, she openly supported the current President Petr Pavel in the election campaign against his rival Andrej Babiš.

Forest fire trial continues

The district court in Ústí nad Labem (Aussig) must once again deal with the arson trial against former volunteer national park ranger Jiří L. The Court of Appeal in Prague overturned the acquittal and ordered the trial to continue. Not all evidence had been exhausted. At the same time, it could not be ruled out that the arsonist of the large forest fire in the summer of 2022 was not someone else. The district court had acquitted Jiří L. due to a lack of evidence. Jiří L. had initially admitted to the arson, but then recanted his statement. In another trial, L. had been acquitted of arson of smaller objects in Bohemian Switzerland such as a raised hide, a barn and a chalet.

The devastating forest fire broke out at the end of July 2022 in Malinový důl in Bohemian Switzerland near Hřensko. The fire spread extremely quickly due to severe drought and stronger winds and even spread to Saxon Switzerland. The fire was only finally extinguished weeks later.

Prize for Czech Expo pavilion

The Czech pavilion for the World Expo in Osaka has won the silver medal in the category for smaller pavilions with an exhibition area of up to 1,500 square meters. The International Bureau of Exhibitions (BIE), which awards the prizes, praised the building for its original architecture, which combines tradition, innovation and sustainability. The Expo ended on Tuesday in Osaka, Japan.

For the Czech Republic, it is the biggest success since the 1970 World Expo in Brussels, where the country, then still Czechoslovakia, scored in several categories, including design. This time, the pavilion attracted attention with its daring construction. The façade of the building, which widens towards the top, is made of glass. The core is made of wood.

Schäferwand has a restaurant again

There is once again a restaurant on Pastýřská stěna (Shepherd's Wall) in Děčín. It opened in the small chateau, which towers over Děčín with its white façade. Popularly known as Nebíčko (Little Heaven), it is one of the town's most popular views. The Schäferwand is a striking rock in the middle of the city, which drops steeply to the left bank of the Elbe opposite the castle. The wall can even be conquered via via ferratas. There have been several restaurants in the castle in the past. However, the operators failed time and again. Most recently, there was a snack bar, but it was not open all year round. The building belongs to the city, which rents it out to the operating company Mountain development.

The building has been renovated in recent years. The new restaurant will officially open on Saturday. It will initially be open from Thursday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with the associated bistro only open at weekends. In the summer season, the operators expect the restaurant to be open every day. There is also a vacation apartment above the restaurant.

The most important Christmas tree in the Czech Republic

Every year, people eagerly await the Christmas tree that will be erected on the Old Town Square in the center of Prague. This year, the common spruce comes from the border region with Saxony, more precisely from the municipality of Jiřetín pod Jedlovou. The spruce stands on a private property. It would have had to be felled anyway because the 26-metre tree could pose a threat to the nearby log cabin in the foreseeable future. The tree is already 85 years old and its stability is no longer guaranteed due to the often damp subsoil. The root system has also spread far into the surrounding area, owner Rudolf Storczer told the daily newspaper Děčínský deník. The tree was planted by his father.

The owner was delighted that his tree was chosen to stand at the Christmas market on the Old Town Square. The selection also has the advantage that the municipal company Technologie hlavního města Prahy (THMP) will now take care of the felling and removal. They will have to shorten the tree by three meters and transport it to Prague during the night on 22 November and set it up at its destination.

This is the 15th time that Prague has held a public competition to find the Christmas tree for its most important Christmas market. The competition is open to entries from all over the country. The best chances are given to common spruces with a height of 23 to 25 meters, well proportioned and ideally located near a street.

The Christmas tree will be festively illuminated on November 29, the Saturday before the 1st Advent, when the Christmas market on the Old Town Square opens.

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)