Czech press survey - February 4

Since the beginning, it has been nothing but a tool with which to catapult Zeman back into top politics, he adds.

Social Democrat (CSSD) leader Bohuslav Sobotka would be absolutely foolish if he really wanted to rule with such a grouping and to have anything in common with it, Sidlo writes.

The Social Democrats' interest must be to push the SPOZ into oblivion, he adds.

Rather than a coalition with such a bizarre grouping, it is better for them to rule with Communists because in their case one at least knows what to expect, Sidlo writes.

The Social Democrats are finding themselves at a crossroads, having to decide whether to support their former presidential candidate Jiri Dienstbier and re-elect him as their deputy chairman at their March congress or to reject him as a fierce opponent of Zeman, Jiri Kubik writes in Mlada fronta Dnes.

Zeman's election as Czech president has stirred "dark currents" among the Social Democrats some of whom are nostalgic for the party's power-sharing pact when Zeman's Social Democrats used to rule, while Vaclav Klaus's opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS) pretended that it could not see anything, Kubik writes.

One can only guess what will happen at the party's forthcoming congress. However, one can bet on two things: the Social Democrats and the SPOZ will not merge by the next elections as Zeman himself is against such an idea, while the SPOZ will get into the Chamber of Deputies, he adds.

There is only the question of whether the SPOZ will drain more leftist voters from the Social Democrats or Communists, Kubik writes.

Zeman's plan to invite head of the European Commission Jose Barroso to jointly put up the EU flag at Prague Castle, seat of Czech heads of state, will strengthen the Czech parties that adhere to European integration, Alexandr Mitrofanov writes in Pravo.

The EU flag will be welcomed by the Social Democrats and TOP 09 as well as the extra-parliamentary Christian Democrats and Greens, Mitrofanov writes.

How about the ODS? It is likely to frown upon the move as will President Vaclav Klaus, he adds.

The Czech Republic will symbolically confirm its readiness to join the concept creating a strong Europe, Mitrofanov writes.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz