The Duke Wenceslas Future Leaders Programme, which welcomes the diplomats, activists and political analysts of the future to Czechia, has been successfully completed for a second year. Organised by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the scheme this year welcomed ten participants from eight countries, and gave them an in-depth look at Czech life and politics.

Czechia has vetoed a European Union statement that urged an "immediate ceasefire" between Israel and Hezbollah and condemned the civilian casualties in Lebanon. Critics of the veto argue that it prevents the EU from issuing a unified stance on the latest developments in the Middle East. Divisions among EU member states have surfaced since Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Last week’s regional elections saw Andrej Babiš and his ANO party triumph in 10 of the 13 regions. On Saturday, ANO also led in the Senate elections, securing eight of the 27 seats contested. Voter turnout was historically low, however, with only 17.5% in the second round. I spoke with political analyst and author Jiří Pehe to discuss the results of both elections and what they mean for ANO ahead of the October 2025 parliamentary elections.

At the 79th session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Czech President Petr Pavel called for reform of the Security Council, which he said must be more effective and inclusive to better reflect the voices of underrepresented regions. At the same time, he applauded African efforts for peace and security even beyond their borders and called for global cooperation in areas such as Russia’s war on Ukraine, cybersecurity, AI, quantum technologies, and more.

The opposition ANO party won a landmark victory in the weekend regional and Senate elections, coming out top in 10 of the 13 regions where voting took place. I discussed the outcome of the vote and its possible consequences with political commentator Pavel Havlíček and began by asking what contributed to ANO’s huge success in the elections.

The 2024 Senate and regional elections could not have come at a worse time for thousands of people in the badly flooded eastern parts of the country. Around 30 municipalities are voting in makeshift polling stations with the help of power generators and volunteers. Many mayors have resigned themselves to a dismally low turnout.