Czech press survey - March 18

The party congress that was to start a victorious march to the governing positions has ended as an embarrassment, Martin Zverina writes in Lidove noviny.

The delegates did not elect Jiri Dienstbier, a popular politician and the Social Democrats' presidential candidate, to the post of deputy chairman, Zverina writes.

This means that for the party, he was good enough for the president, but not as its deputy chairman, he adds.

The party leaders dislike Dienstbier as he does not share their plebeian style, Zverina writes.

However, Dienstbier can be quite valuable as he is able to attract that type of voters who usually shun the party, it adds.

As some delegates spoke at the congress about the election result above 30 percent, the party really needs him. As a result, it is incomprehensible why the party has put it clearly that it does not need his services, Zverina writes.

It is no wonder that Social Democrat leader Bohuslav Sobotka considers Dienstbier's failure his defeat, too, although he himself easily achieved his re-election, Jiri Pehe writes in Pravo.

For all the rhetoric about new unity in the party leadership, the position of Sobotka was weakened without Dienstbier in it, he adds.

After the Social Democrats congress, the party is heading for its becoming the Czech Social Democrat Party - the Association of Milos Zeman's Friends, Pehe writes.

This may happen without any rifts. In this, Zeman was right when addressing the party delegates. Why should he split the party if he rightly knew beforehand that the party would ritually embrace him? he asks.

However, for the young generation and the liberal centre, there is hardly anyone in the party who would attract them.

Sobotka was knocked in his nose when the congress failed to elect Dienstbier, his protege, to the post of party deputy chairman, Martin Komarek writes in Mlada fronta Dnes.

However, the party also punished itself when doing so. By humiliating a prominent politician acceptable for the youth and the middle classes, it has worsened its image and created an internal enemy, Komarek writes.

Zeman used to say that he wants to be the president for the lower ten million. The socialists must have the image that they are acceptable for all the voters except the upper 10,000. Are they able to do this? he asks the rhetorical question.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz