Prague, March 3 (CTK) – Czech President Milos Zeman should show restraint in his statements and he should not threaten or harm the respectability of other constitutional institutions or the values the Czech Republic adheres to, the Senate said in a resolution on Thursday.
As the head of state, Zeman should not divide the society by his words or steps, says the resolution the upper house passed by the closest majority of votes after a debate on Zeman’s controversial statements.
Zeman’s spokesman Jiri Ovcacek reacted on Twitter saying that the president would not allow a muzzle being put over his mouth.
In the 81-seat house, only 35 senators took part in the vote on the resolution, which was pushed through by the votes of 18 of them.
The resolution reacted to Zeman’s previous statements against the sanctions the EU imposed on Russia over its annexation of Crimea, his refusal to grant professorship to selected nominees, his participation in a demonstration side by side with the extremist anti-Islam bloc leader and his comments on Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, such as his reference to the Kalashnikov assault rifle as an undemocratic way to unseat a politician.
The resolution was drafted by senators Petr Silar and Jan Hornik, from the Christian Democrat (KDU-CSL) and the Mayors (STAN) groups, respectively
Ovcacek called the resolution “anti-Zemanite folklore.”
“In spite of this, there is a good piece of news for Czech senators. The president unites the society, he is supported by 70 percent of citizens,” Ovcacek said.
According to a poll the CVVM agency conducted in mid-February and released on March 1, Zeman is trusted by 59 percent of Czechs.
In a January CVVM poll, 70 percent of respondents positively assessed Zeman for keeping in contact with citizens and knowing their problems, and 68 percent praised him for exercising his powers as president.
“At the same time, I can assure you that the president will not allow a muzzle to be put over his mouth. He will openly speak about the danger posed by the migrant crisis,” Ovcacek wrote.
Zeman was elected president in a direct election, not by senators in early 2013, Ovcacek said.
Similarly, senator Jan Veleba (Citizens’ Rights Party), who opposed the resolution, said it is not up to the Senate to assess Zeman’s performance.
He said the resolution in fact expressed disagreement with the result of the democratic presidential election. The society has actually been divided by those who have not come to terms with the election result and who control the media, mainly public media, Veleba said.
Challenging the resolution’s effect on Zeman, senator Jaroslav Kubera (Civic Democrats, ODS) said it is “as if the Czech Senate decided that the Earth it rotating too fast and the Senate wishes it to slow down.”
