Czech press survey - Octobber 24

He writes that Europeans live various lives. It is better where businesspeople, innovations, finances, export and education fare well.

However, the years after the prosperity will be bad there where at the end of October no one has any idea of what next year´s state budget will be like, how taxes or the pensions system will look like, Sabata writes.

"Let us forget about the six blackmailers, Necas´s government, Communists in the government or an orange (Social Democrat) Constitutional Court. Now the question to be asked is whether our hard times will last long or for ever," Sabata writes.

Elsewhere in Hospodarske noviny, Petr Honzejk makes a "very risky" bet on that the government of Petr Necas will survive because there is no way of how the Civic Democrat (ODS) renegades could profit form its fall.

He writes that the "rebels" should be reminded of one iron rule of Czech politics: he who topples a government does not profit from it.

The fall of Necas´s government would mean that power would be assumed by the Social Democrats and it would apply what has been said many times before: he who refuses higher taxes on principle, will eventually have them even higher and a CSSD-KSCM (Communist) government on top of it, Honzejk writes.

If common sense wins, a compromise will be struck. But emotions may prevail, which would be reliably the most awkward end of a government in the country´s history, Honzejk writes.

That Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek (TOP 09) withdrew the draft budget for next year hides a strong indication that the government coalition is already considering the government´s fall as a very probable scenario, Daniel Kaiser writes in Lidove noviny.

The situation is in essence clear. It will now only depend on the delegates to the ODS congress to be held in eaely November whether they will be ready to risk the mere survival of the party for the sake of the personal interests of several individuals some of whom may be seeking criminal amnesty and shoulder all consequences, Kaiser writes.

No one will be able to say he was not acquainted with the risks. This may be the goal of Kalousek, now Necas´s ally, Kaiser writes.

Elsewhere in Lidove noviny, Lenka Zlamalova writes that Finance Minister Mirosllv Kalousek is using the state budget as a negotiating lever.

Kalousek sent a clear message to the ODS rebels around Petr Tluchor what budget he would bequeath to their new, dreamt-of government that would replace the team of Petr Necas, Zlamalova writes.

She says it would be a budget that would definitely please neither ODS members in regions nor other groups, from scientists to artists used to the influx of European subsidies.

Kalousek announced that nothing in the world will force him to present a budget with a deficit higher than 3 percent of GDP. Since he has failed to raise taxes, he will cut secure the missing 20 billion crowns by cuts in expenditure - where it will be palpable mainly for various interest groups, Zlamalova writes.

She writes that European funds to which the government must add minimally the same amount from the Czech budget are almost the last money that may have some importance in the power struggle.

Any future government would be unable to prepare its own budget, it would inherit it from Kalousek and Necas, Zlamalova writes.

ms/t

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz