Respekt: ODS's prospects bleak prior to congress

Prague, Oct 29 (CTK) - The prospects of the Czech senior government Civic Democratic Party (ODS) are not good before its weekend congress, but this need not bother the rest of the country, weekly Respekt out yesterday writes in its editorial.

The paper writes that party chairman and Prime Minister Petr Necas, who has held both positions since mid-2010, has failed to exonerate the ODS of its reputation of a grouping of grafters.

Moreover, he has lost control of it and is unable to ensure that the party vote in unity in parliament, Respekt writes.

The freshest example is the package of changes to taxes aimed to stabilise public budgets. Necas has even tied a new vote on the package to take place on November 7 at the latest with a vote of confidence.

The ODS was also routed in the recent Senate and regional elections, including its former strongholds. The party has one sole politician who won his elections and who enjoys people's trust, but he was dismissed from the government still before the elections and is in isolation in the party, Respekt writes.

He is former justice minister Jiri Pospisil, who won the regional elections in Plzen, west Bohemia, but he will not eventually become governor because the Social Democrats (CSSD) dismissed an offer for cooperation and they will continue ruling the region probably with Communist (KSCM) support.

Clans within the ODS, formed without any comprehensible reasons, are intriguing against one another, Respekt writes.

A six-member group rebelling against Necas pretends to be saving right-wing conservative politics [within their opposition to raising taxes], but they are doing in a disruptive manner what is rather non-conservative, Respekt.

Necas himself is a weak leader who does not want to talk about his problems, explain them, win over the public. He would not talk either about the disruptive influence on his government of the line pursued by [founder of the ODS and its member until 2008] President Vaclav Klaus, Respekt writes.

One of Klaus's people [Petr Hajek] is looking for the Antichrist among Czechs, another one, [presidential candidate] Ladislav Jakl wears a T-shirt featuring a woman's genitals that he sees as a symbol of the European Union, Respekt writes.

Klaus himself is readily vetoing bills on the passing of which Necas based his self-confidence. The ODS's policy and its relations with Klaus are incomprehensible. No one knows what they want, who plays which fiddle, Respekt writes.

It would be good if the congress cleared up the situation, but there is not much hope for this. In a normally functioning party, Necas would have at least one counter-candidate for the post of party chairman who could persuade Klaus he has a strong position and form a new pro-reform party, Respekt writes.

However, after Klaus undermined the government of Mirek Topolanek (ODS) in 2009 as well as Necas now, no one can (or should not) believe Klaus, the weekly writes.

It says all would want to be party deputy chairpersons, all would like to have some posts, but no one wants to shoulder responsibility.

This is in fact typical of a party of subsidy applicants and state order winners: it is most important to have influential positions, play backstage games and control the chairman, who can distribute further positions with access to money, Respekt writes.

The result of the November 3-4 congress will have a great influence on the survival of Necas's centre-right coalition government, but it should not have any fatal impact on the Czech Republic, Respekt writes.

It says Klaus's second and last five-year term will end early next year and none of the candidates for the post can realistically be worse.

Experts do not unequivocally positively accept the reforms sponsored by Necas's government, such as the welfare, tax, health care and pension ones, if any were passed, Respekt writes.

It notes that Poland, for instance, that has much better economic results than the Czech Republic, makes fewer cuts while it supports economic growth more and it is now borrowing money on world markets for lower interests than Czechs.

This plays against Necas who has presented low interests for Czechs as an argument to support the reforms, Respekt writes.

The years-ĺong asserted argument that the ODS is a legible stable democratic liberal party, or a state-forming pillar of the country, seems to be fading away, Respekt writes.

The squabbling within the party, the absence of a leader in the good sense of the word, obsession with the EU's alleged harmfulness and the inability to replace the EU with something else that would give the Czech Republic a similarly safe haven plus local-level corruption are taking Necas's government far away from the possibility of any remedy, Respekt writes.

It says the opposition Social Democratic Party (CSSD) may not be much better, but it has been in opposition for six years and unlike the ODS it has not lost the appetite to govern the country.

Early elections would probably strengthen the Communists, but the game is open and the Czechs - if they mind it - can keep the Communist party there where it belongs, that is in opposition, Respekt writes.