LN: Regional elections contribute more chaos

Prague, Oct 16 (CTK) - The regional elections have brought further chaos into Czech politics as if there were not enough of it in it, Daniel Kaiser writes in Lidove noviny yesterday.

The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and TOP 09 were routed in the regional elections, but one has to ask the question of what it means for the Czech government, Kaiser writes.

How the undeniable rout in the regional and Senate elections can be translated into national policy, this is the question that will now be asked in both government parties, Kaiser writes.

Can the 12 percent scored in the elections by the ODS, that regularly received twice or triple the number of votes a couple of years ago, used against its leader, Prime Minister Petr Necas, when the party opposition may try to topple him from either of his posts? he asks.

There is also the question of whether the Mayors and Independents (STAN) movement, recently described by Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek (TOP 09 deputy chairman) as a leftist segment in the grouping consisting of the STAN and TOP 09, has a serious reason to start emancipating itself from its partner thanks to its relatively better election result.

One can read the elections in two, opposite ways. They eventually can be used as an argument claiming that no exaggerated importance should be attributed to the regional elections, Kaiser writes.

Necas has adopted the former position when claiming that the behaviour of regional representations matters most in regional elections, he adds.

In claiming so, Necas generously overlooks his share of guilt. In fact, he is no charismatic leader and with his resolute insistence on an increase in VAT he hardly motivated some traditional voting groups of the ODS, Kaiser writes.

However, he can find so many pieces of evidence for his cause as is the number of regions that are dominated by the rebels or politicians who would like to lean on the rebellion, he adds.

Kaiser cites the example of Jan Kubata, an ODS senior official from the Usti Region.

Kubata has indicated that he may revenge himself on Necas for his "bold words" at the ODS national congress, Kaiser writes.

However, it is the same Kubata who, the other day, spent his holiday in Thailand along with notorious Usti businessman Patrik Oulicky, he adds.

Oulicky is exactly one of the tasteless fellows in the region due to which the ODS received a mere 9.7 percent in it, Kaiser writes.

As far as TOP 09 is concerned, the question of bearing responsibility is somewhat more complex. STAN leader Petr Gazdik scored an excellent result in his Zlin Region and there is a number of other cases in which the STAN achieved better results alone than along with TOP 09, Kaiser writes.

However, this division of work existed from scratch: STAN should focus on the regions, for which it will be catapulted to the national level thanks to its link with TOP 09, headed by Karel Schwarzenberg, he adds.

On the other hand, Necas's theory that the party was routed due to the performance of its corrupt regional officials is denied by a remarkable poll conducted by the STEM/MARK agency, Kaiser writes.

It has revealed that 72 percent of Czechs wanted changes in the regions, but only 24 percent of them knew who rules them, he adds.

This means that these elections, with their one-third turnout, were largely, perhaps decisively influenced by the voters who are so poorly motivated that they do not even find out the elementary data at their regional office, Kaiser writes.

At the same time, they are so outraged at the general situation that they feel the need to stand up with determination against it, he adds.

One can presume with certainty that there is also another, different type of voters in the Czech Republic, such as more informed groups, who are as disgusted that they do not support their party in the lower level elections, while they will do so when more will matter, Kaiser writes.

The serious question of why politicians have failed to mobilise more politically knowledgeable voters lingers on of course, he adds.

When regions were formed, there was the hope that they will provide the tired Czech politics with fresh blood. Eventually, the corrupt recipients of EU subsidies on the regional level have started disintegrating the parties from inside, at first the ODS and later the Social Democrats (CSSD), Kaiser writes.

Now it may happen that due to them, the government may not complete its regular four-year term of office, he adds.