Czech President Petr Pavel delivered a speech at the Forum 2000 international conference in Prague on Monday. He addressed the security threat posed by Russia, which, according to Pavel, aims to dismantle Europe step by step. “Russia poses a fundamental threat to European freedom, security, and democracy,” the president stated.

Talks on forming a new Czech government have run into serious difficulties over two potential nominees from the Motorists’ party. While the likely future head of government, Andrej Babiš (ANO) would prefer for the party to nominate experts to its four allotted portfolios, the Motorists have made it clear that either their members get posts in the cabinet or the party goes into the opposition - a move that would scupper ANO’s chances of forming a majority government.

A record number of young candidates won seats in the recent Czech parliamentary elections— a fourfold increase compared to the previous term. Why are young people suddenly gaining voter support? And what role do political youth organisations play in this?

At its founding, the Czech Pirate Party was meant to offer a center-left, progressive alternative in Czech politics, which has been mostly dominated by centrist and center-right views. But after a series of setbacks, from mismanaging building permit digitization efforts to failing to secure enough seats in the 2024 European Parliament elections, the Pirates reshuffled their leadership and distanced themselves from traditional progressive campaign topics like tax reform, environmental policy, and broader social equity concerns. Was that a worthwhile gamble? I spoke with Klára Votavová, research fellow at the Europeum Institute of Foreign Policy, about the current state of the left in Czechia. We discuss why, despite growing dissatisfaction with the status quo, the Pirates are hesitant to tackle progressive policies head-on, and why their role in the opposition might boost their popularity in the country.

In the newly elected Czech Chamber of Deputies, nearly one-third of the members will be women - a historic high for the country. What role did preferential voting play in boosting female candidates? And how significant is this shift compared to previous elections?

ANO leader Andrej Babiš scored a decisive victory in the Czech general elections at the weekend, but failed to secure enough support to govern alone. Now, he faces tough coalition talks with two fringe parties –the SPD and the Motorists who could help him to secure a comfortable majority of 108 seats.

Eighty-seven years ago, Nazi Germany, Italy, France, and Great Britain signed the Munich Agreement, leading Czechoslovakia to surrender its borderlands to Germany. Thousands of new bunkers called "řopíky," built to defend against the Nazis, became useless as they were mostly in occupied territory. Now some of them are for sale.

In an address to the public three days before the country’s general elections, President Petr Pavel urged Czechs to go to the polls. He said that now, more than ever, Czechia needs a government that will ensure its security, protect its sovereignty and not leave it at the mercy of Russia.

The Center for Online Risk Research, an initiative led by IT experts, has drawn attention to the activity of fake accounts on TikTok in Czechia. Their analysis revealed nearly three hundred interconnected accounts that artificially boost their reach to millions of views per week by sharing and commenting on each other’s content.

In the wake of repeated violations of NATO airspace, the Western allies have signaled their readiness to defend “every inch of NATO territory”, warning Putin that the next Russian fighter jet that violates NATO airspace will be shot down.  As Europe bolsters its defenses and prepares for possible conflict – Czech leaders are bringing home the message that security and defense are a responsibility shared by all citizens.