Czech press survey - March 22

He writes that the Russian hockey league is played in the Czech Republic, the Russians are favourites of the construction of another two units of the nuclear power plant in Temelin, south Bohemia, and the biggest Russian bank is planning to expand to the Czech Republic.

There are more and more Russian shops in Prague, the seats of rich Russians are being built in the spa town of Karlovy Vary, Honzejk writes.

New President Milos Zeman is upgrading the foreign policy of his predecessor Vaclav Klaus and he is not only on highly friendly relations with the Russian firm Lukoil, but he is also pushing for Vladimir Remek, traiend in Russia, becoming Czech ambassador to Moscow, Honzejk writes.

He writes that this does not necessarily mean that the Czech Republic should end up like Cyprus, labelled as a Russian aircraft carrier in the EU waters, but caution is justified.

Lukas Jelinek writes in Pravo that the shadow government of the senior opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) has a number of weak points, particularly where invisible members are concerned.

Now that party chairman Bohuslav Sobotka is planning to reconstruct the government, he should have a look at the current government of Petr Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS) and the look should warn him, Jelinek writes.

It comprises people who are under the influence of lobbyists as well as incapable amateurs. Only a couple of experts wearing ideological clothes are modestly standing deep at the back, Jelinek writes.

The hopes pinned on the future possible CSSD government that may emerge from the mid-2014 general election will be much higher because the party has had many years for preparation, Jelinek writes.

Sobotka will have to defend his shadow team in the eyes of the party, the president as well as the public. The failure, which may arise from tactical compromises, may seriously damage Sobotka as well as the whole CSSD´s political future, Jelinek writes.

Elsewhere in Pravo, Alexandr Mitrofanov writes that the position of the Civic Democrats (ODS) facing its founder, former president Vaclav Klaus, is much more difficult than that of its rival, the Social Democrats´ (CSSD) was before its recent congress in relation to its "father," current President Milos Zeman.

The CSSD eventually concluded an agreement with the president on the distribution of power in the next ten years, Mitrofanov writes.

The Social Democrats could raise conditions because they are currently supported by voters´ will and Zeman has all of a sudden found in himself a much greater liking for the CSSD, of which he used to be chairman and prime minister, than the SPOZ, a party he founded a couple of years ago and of which he is still honorary chairman, Mitrofanov writes.

The ODS is at the bottom. If Klaus used even a fraction of his opportunities he still has in the party, his party opponents wold have no counter-arguments, Mitrofanov writes.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz