PM: Zeman, Schwarzenberg's campaigns divide society

Prague, Jan 25 (CTK) - The presidential campaign was rather hysterical due to both candidates, Milos Zeman and Karel Schwarzenberg, and their election teams and it has divided Czech society, Prime Minister Petr Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS) said after casting his vote Friday.

"I believe that both candidates really escalated the campaign in an absolutely unhealthy way and not to the benefit of the Czech Republic," he said.

Necas said the winner of the presidential election should calm down the social and political atmosphere.

He said he cast his vote for Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09).

Necas nevertheless said Schwarzenberg seemed to do his utmost to lose his vote in the past two weeks.

He said Zeman would be a natural candidate because he considers Zeman one of the three most significant Czech postcommunist politicians, along with late Vaclav Havel and outgoing President Vaclav Klaus.

But Necas said one can hardly expect Zeman to win support of both the Communist (KSCM) leader and the ODS leader.

Zeman, and even more Klaus who has backed Zeman, indicated that Schwarzenberg would not be a good president also because he did not spend his whole life in the country. They also fiercely criticised Schwarzenberg's comments on the postwar transfer of Sudeten Germans and the Benes Decrees. Zeman pointed to alleged Nazi links of Schwarzenberg's Austrian wife.

Schwarzenberg said Klaus and Zeman form one power group and they have been deceiving Czech voters for a long time.