Poll January 9th: Vague Apologies of Czech MP Politicians

Prague - Vague apologies of Czech politicians for their unacceptable words or acts will definitely not help improve political culture in the Czech Republic, Martin Weiss writes in the daily Lidove noviny (LN) today.

The attack of junior ruling Christian Democrat (KDU-CSL) chairman Jiri Cunek on his party opponent, Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek, was ill-considered and might rather sweep Cunek from the government, Jiri Leschtina writes in Hospodarske noviny (HN) today.

Deputy Prime Minister and Local Development Minister Cunek has repeatedly proposed that Kalousek be dismissed from the coalition cabinet of Mirek Topolanek. However, this step "only legitimises Topolanek's demand for Cunek's resignation," Leschtina says.

Cunek's position would have been better if he had waited for Kalousek and Topolanek attacking him and then had started mobilising his party following, Leschtina says. In any case, one thing is clear - the arguments of Kalousek's supporters are much more substantiated than those of his opponents, which Cunek himself feels, Leschtina points out

Cunek is trying to destroy his party rival ahead of the election congress and the KDU-CSL's inevitable fiasco in the June EP elections.

"If Kalousek does not lose the prime minister's support, Cunek can get rid of him only by the Christian Democrats's departure from the cabinet, which would split the party and bring Cunek's wing closer to (opposition Social Democrat head Jiri Paroubek) and (Communist chairman) Filip. Today's conference of the Christian Democrats will indicate how they like such an idea," Leschtina writes in conclusion.

A new Eurosceptical party might fill the gap on the Czech political scene and even enter parliament, Lukas Jelinek writes in Pravo today. He says that a tiny place for a new small party in parliament probably exists on the verge of the democratic right. The excesses like the ultra-right National Party (NS) and the extremist Workers' Party (DS) cannot saturate such demand.

Jelinek reminds that the senior ruling right-wing Civic Democrats (ODS) are slowly moving to the political centre, abandoning its tough ideological and mainly Eurosceptical positions. A lot of people disillusioned by the EU reform Lisbon treaty can be found in both the left and right camps and nascent Eurosceptical political entities may attract them, Jelinek notes.

He, however, questions the recent poll results, according to which a new right-wing grouping linked to the Libertas Eurosceptical movement of Irish opponent to Lisbon treaty Declan Ganley has a chance to gain support of some 20 percent of voters.

"A Eurosceptical party will have to try hard to cross the five percent parliamentary threshold. If it succeeded, it might play a similar role as the (junior opposition) Communists in parliament - to terrify, lure and sometimes even help," Jelinek concludes in Pravo.