Handelsblatt: Czechs blow chances of real policy change

Berlin, Jan 27 (CTK) - By electing Milos Zeman as their president, Czechs have wasted a chance of changing their policy, preferring the conservation of the current state of affairs, the server of the German Handelsblatt writes yesterday.

The Austrian press ascribes Zeman's victory to a "dirty anti-German campaign," voicing the fear of future disputes with Austrian rightist populists who will try to score cheap political points by anti-Czech attacks.

"It is a pity because Czechs could opt for a new beginning in politics when choosing their president on Saturday. By appointing Social Democrat Milos Zeman to the supreme post this will not happen," Handelsblatt writes, adding that the future head of state is a "status quo man."

"It is a pity. In the years to come, the Czech Republic could be slightly transformed and opened. But most of its population is evidently not prepared for this," Handelsblatt writes.

The German Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung writes about Zeman's defeated rival Karel Schwarzenberg.

He failed "because for Czechs, he is not one from their midst," the daily writes.

"Despite this, if over 40 percent of the small Czech nation, believing that it is encircled by evil neighbours, vote for a person like him, he does not have to feel defeated," the paper writes.

The Austrian Die Presse writes that Zeman owes his election to an "unprecedented anti-German dirty campaign" against Schwarzenberg. "The beginning is quite bad," the paper writes.

Die Presse writes it is obvious to many Czechs that the post-war transfer of Germans was an arbitrary act, but there is no general consensus on this.

"And it will not be as long as reckless voter hunters as the next president will use the Sudeten German question as a tool for a short-term objective," Die Presse writes.

"In his campaign, leftist populist Milos Zeman raised the terrifying specters of the past. However, it is even more terrifying to watch how easily and successfully one can deal with such specters," the Austrian Kurier writes, adding that it is "horrific how easily emotions can be stirred with the bloody history of the 20th century."