Pospisil (senior ruling Civic Democrats, ODS) added he would complete the bill in August to submit it to the government.
The legislation, on which the government coalition Next Czech Chamber session may be held in late August ...
CSSD still most popular Czech party ahead of ODS - poll ... leaders have agreed, presents several alternatives of the direct presidential polls. Pospisil said he cannot rule out changes to be made in the bill during the debate in the government, Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Pospisil today also defended Prison Service head Ludek Kula whom he took off duty in reaction to information from the police who accused Kula of breach of trust in early July. Pospisil told CT that Kula was a good manager who had done a a lot of excellent work in his post. According to the police, Kula and his former deputy have stripped the state of millions of crowns in connection with an order for mobile telephone jammers in prisons. Pospisil has already submitted to the cabinet seven alternative amendments to the election law that should eliminate discrimination against smaller parties. He said the government would deal with the proposals. The bill on direct presidential election has been worked out at the initiative of the junior ruling Greens (SZ). The junior government Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and part of the ODS do not support the idea. The Greens have not yet withdrawn their own bill on direct presidential polls from the Chamber of Deputies, but they said they would do so it they were satisfied with the coalition bill. As a constitutional bill it must be passed by three-fifths of deputies and three-fifths of senators. The government has only fragile majority in the Chamber of Deputies. The government coalition parties are not united in the method of direct presidential election and the president's powers. While the Christian Democrats want to prevent the current powers, the ODS is considering extending them. The opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) have also prepared a bill on direct presidential polls. However, their bill was deleted from the agenda of the June Chamber session. According to polls, most Czechs support direct presidential election. Current President Vaclav Klaus was reelected for another five years by parliament in February. The next presidential polls will be held in five years.
(Ceske Noviny)
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