Schwarzenberg Forum being built around TOP 09 Czech party - press

With the help of non-party members, the forum is designed to bring people back in politics and make use of Schwarzenberg´s support in the first direct presidential election in January, Pravo writes.

It writes that it could also help the party in its competition with the senior government Civic Democratic Party (ODS) on the right, political scientists believe.

Schwarzenberg, 75, advanced to the second round of the direct presidential election in which he lost to former social democrat prime minister Milos Zeman.

Schwarzenberg gained 45 percent of the vote in the second round. He was supported by a number of actors, film and theatre directors, artists and scientists.

The Forum is to be only partially tied to TOP 09 which Schwarzenberg is to lead to the 2014 general election.

"Political parties have so much damaged their reputation that entering a political party now is tantamount to entering a suspicious night club. That is why people are looking for space outside political parties," Schwarzenberg told Pravo.

It writes that the Forum repeats to some degree the scenario that catapulted TOP 09 in cooperation with Mayors and Independents (STAN) to the Chamber of Deputies three years ago.

The mayors who enjoy voters´ higher trust than politicians brought new faces and new themes to the election campaign in 2010, Pravo writes.

"TOP 09 has quite good chances of being stronger than the ODS and of taking over the role of the major rightist party. But it knows that its rank-and-file is very narrow for now. The party was created from the centre and it has few politicians not only in regions," political scientist Jan Bures told Pravo.

He said TOP 09 could also pay greater attention to its rather superficial programme thanks to the new association.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz