Czech press survey - October 26

The party has probably selected Drabek´s successor in line with the words by TOP 09 first deputy chairman and Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek who said he did not believe in the government´s survival very much.

It is hard to attract strong personalities to a government in resignation, Zlamalova adds.

Muellerova, Drabek´s deputy, is the type of a "solid caretaker" for a certain time but not a reformer who is capable of explaining fundamental social changes to people, Zlamalova says.

If the government had two years ahead, until the regular general election due in mid-2014, it would definitely need personality who is able to legitimise is social policy, Zlamalova points out.

Mrs Muellerova knows the office well after having worked there as deputy minister for long. She will probably be a respectable official and will not disgrace TOP 09 like its confused Culture Minister Alena Hanakova, Zlamalova writes.

"Falling" seems to be a favourite sport of the Czech government, Jana Blazkova writes in Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) today.

She recalls that the coalition government of Petr Necas (ODS chairman) might fall next Wednesday if the ODS rebels do not support its tax package.

However, Necas´s cabinet has been falling almost continuously for over two years, practically since it assumed power in mid-2010, Blazkova says, citing the series of affairs in which the government´s continuation was threatened.

They culminated in April when the government coalition of the ODS, TOP 09 and Public Affairs (VV) finally split. However, Karolina Peake with her LIDEM party that she founded along with other defectors from the VV prevented the government´ fall.

Since then the cabinet has been disintegrating over a rebellion in the senior ruling ODS for a change, Blazkova notes.

"Don´t you think it seems a bit boring?" she asks in conclusion.

The Prague star has faded away, Jiri Leschtina writes in Hospodarske noviny (HN) today on the recent change of Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (Civic Democrats, ODS).

Six months ago Svoboda was full of energy and ambitions resembling "a rushing comet." He was catapulted to the Prague ODS branch´s helm and was speaking openly about his candidacy for the party´s first deputy chairman, Leschtina reminds.

The tandem of PM and ODS chairman Petr Necas and Svoboda was to complete the party´s purging, Leschtina adds.

But the situation has changed. Nothing can symbolise the ODS´s twist from the "anti-corruption ethos" better than Svoboda´s announcement that he will not run for ODS deputy chairman, Leschtina writes.

He says the point of break was the filling of the post of the Prague Transport Company´s head with Vladimir Lich, whom Svoboda pushed through, and who enabled the police to investigate the stripping of the company´s assets. Svoboda thereby terrified his problematic allies sitting in other municipal companies, Leschtina writes.

It is also a bitter symbol that in the fight for the post of ODS first deputy head, Svoboda is to be replaced by Environment Minister Tomas Chalupa, who as Prague 6 Mayor lost 200 million of crowns from public resources in a dubious, now bankrupt company.

It was Necas who had brought Chalupa and other controversial ODS members to his government.

Svoboda´s fall only anticipates the end of Necas, Leschtina writes in conclusion.

($1=19.167 crowns)

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz