Czech press survey - January 18

When Czech Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek (TOP 09) was getting divorced, he slapped the face of a young man in the street, and when Prime Minister Petr Necas´s (Civic Democrats, ODS) marriage is falling apart, he is making political mistakes, Martin Komarek says in Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) today.

Necas´s first mistake is that he chose LIDEM leader Karolina Peake as new defence minister and then dismissed her after she spent only a few days in the office last December, Komarek writes.

He says Necas´s second mistake is his ill-considered countersigning of the amnesty Klaus announced on New Year´s Day.

Necas is right when he argues that the constitution indicates that he has to countersign the amnesty, however, his political instinct failed, Komarek writes.

Necas should have submitted Klaus´s plan to lawyers and sense what is the political problem. Then he should have talked to Klaus and persuade him to make changes in the planned amnesty, Komarek says.

Similarly, Necas should have clearly discussed with Peake whom of the Defence Ministry senior officials she can sack before he proposed her for minister, he adds.

It would have been better if Necas blew off steam by slapping some youth in the street, Komarek says.

The vote of no-confidence in the Necas government had no other effect than a justified protest of the opposition against the amnesty and first of all against the government´s responsibility for the pardoning of large-scale fraudsters, Alexandr Mitrofanov writes in Pravo.

The long discussion in the lower house of parliament held before the no-confidence vote showed that there are many MPs who should better keep their mouths shut than speak out, Mitrofanov says.

He adds that it would have been enough for the Social Democrats if their leader Bohuslav Sobotka and their deputy head Lubomir Zaoralek addressed the house on Thursday.

Presidential candidate Karel Schwarzenberg, current foreign minister and TOP 09 leader, played his part brilliantly, Jiri Leschtina says in Hospodarske noviny (HN), referring to the fact that Schwarzenberg expressed outrage over the amnesty and walked out of parliament on Thursday.

Schwarzenberg criticised Necas for countersigning Klaus´s amnesty behind his back and without telling TOP 09 about it in advance, Leschtina recalls.

Schwarzenberg left the lower house before the no-confidence vote in protest, however, he said he remains a loyal member of the government before leaving, Leschtina writes.

But the main point is how voters will appreciate Schwarzenberg´s inventive balancing between the government and the Presidential Office, Leschtina concludes in connection with the presidential election´s final round due on January 25-26, in which Schwarzenberg will clash with former socialist prime minister Milos Zeman.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz