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Poll: Most Czechs are for capital punishment

Over 3/5 of Czechs are of the view that death penalty should exist in the Czech Republic, according to a poll conducted by the CVVM polling institute in early May and released Thursday.

Leftist voters prevail among those believing that the punishment is necessary.

Some 26 % of Czechs hold the view that capital punishment should "decidedly" be in the Czech Republic, while another 36 % are rather for than against it.

It is absolutely opposed by 11 %, while another 21 % are rather against it.

The remaining 6 % were unable to give any answer.

Leftist voters, in particular those preferring the Communists (KSCM), tend to hold the view that the death penalty "decidedly should exist."

Czechs with higher education more often believe that it "rather should not exist."

People voting for centre-right parties and Catholics are resolutely against it.

The view that capital punishment should be reinstated reached its peak in 1992-1994, when it was held by 3/4 of Czechs.

The minimum was recorded in 2002, when the agreement was only voiced by 56 %.

The number of resolute opponents of death penalty has been growing by the year. In 1992, there were only 13 % of Czechs against it, while this year, the figure stood at 32 %.

As reasons, they most often cite the risk of miscarriage of justice and abuse of the penalty in general.

The poll was conducted on a sample of 1,062 Czechs over 15 on May 6-13.

The capital punishment was cancelled in the Czech Republic in 1990 and replaced with the life sentence.

The last execution was held on what is now the Czech Republic on February 2, 1989. A 5-time murderer who stabbed to death his wife and children was executed.

Source: Prague Monitor, May 30, 2013

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