Czech press survey - February 19

He writes that the latest action, the Right Faction of the ODS, has all qualities of Ivan Fuksa´s candidature for party chairmanship at last December´s congress: it has been thrown together, it has the educational level provided by the private higher learning institutions at which politicians are hastily gaining university degrees, and the use of outdated ideology, Weiss writes.

He says this group has no programme because those living off deals with the state and municipalities cannot generate any.

Prime Minister and ODS chairman Petr Necas is facing a new problem - the abolition of bearer shares that is opposed by some in his own party, one of whose priorities is fighting corruption, Jiri Pehe writes writes in Pravo.

Since it is clear that the revelation of the property background of the firms that have had hitherto anonymous owners could terminate not only some political careers, but also expose information that might start off criminal proceedings, a tough struggle will still be waged for the respective bill.

Elsewhere in Pravo, Jan Martinek writes that the current dispute over the bill reveals three things. First, it is the long time known disunity of the ODS.

Second, it again confirms that ODS lawmakers learn about bills agreed within narrow negotiations of the government coalition just before a vote is taken on them in parliament, Martinek writes.

Third, the situation only confirms that the chances of anti-corruption legislation have never been big in Necas´s government that has coined the slogan of fighting corruption since it was formed in 2010, Martinek writes.

The Czech state energy company CEZ´s problems in the Balkans, the unclear situation around the completion of the Temelin nuclear power plant, criticism of CEZ´s participation in the solar energy business and a decreasing profit arouse the question of whether the state should not better guard its golden hen, Petr Honzejk writes in Hospodarske noviny.

He writes that it is a question of whether the problems in the Balkans may reflect the exaggerated self-confidence the CEZ heads gained at home where their business has long been covered up to a great extent by politics.

The rationally-minded people in CEZ should slow down the politicians who want to build a profitable monument for themselves through Temelin, Honzejk writes.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz