Prague, Oct 18 (CTK) – Czech President Milos Zeman should not attack constitutional institutions, Milan Stech (Social Democrats, CSSD), deputy chairman of the Senate, said in reaction to Zeman challenging the meaning of the upper house of parliament on Tuesday.
Premysl Sobotka (Civic Democrats, ODS), Senate deputy chairman, said the president should defend the constitution of his country and not destabilise it by its statements.
Both Stech and Sobotka conceded that low turnout is a problem, but it is not “serious” to connect the election result with the proposal to abolish the Senate, Stech said.
Zeman challenged the purpose of the Senate on the Czech Television (CT) on Tuesday. He allowed for that it could be a safeguard of democracy, but added that he is not sure whether the Czech Republic needs the upper house of parliament.
He said people do not respect the Senate because in the opposite case, turnout would be higher.
Zeman said both turnout and the need for th Senate are themes to be discussed.
Turnout in the election to one third of the Senate earlier this month was record low with only 15.4 percent of eligible voters casting their ballots.
Stech said the Senate is meaningful. “It has proved this with its strenuous and patient work on improving legislation. Deputies recognised in 60 percent of cases that the changes proposed by the Senate are for the better. A crushing majority of the upper houses of European countries’ parliaments are far from being successful like this,” Stech told CTK.
He said Zeman may have reservations about individuals, but he should not attack constitutional institutions.
Stech said the low turnout is definitely a problem. But it was also low in the election to the European Parliament, yet the MEPs’ posts have not been abolished.
“I am sure that the president would not speak like this if Babis, his obvious friend, succeeded in the run-off vote,” Stech said.
Babis’s ANO movement only won three mandates even though it won the first round and had 14 candidates in the second round.
Finance Minister Babis has long coined the opinion that the Senate is redundant, but the debate on a possible abolition of the upper house is not ANO’s priority, ANO deputy chairwoman Jaroslava Jermanova said.
This year’s most successful party, the junior government Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) won in nine out of 27 wards. The opposition Mayors and Independents (STAN) and the Civic Democrats (ODS) won three mandates. The CSSD only won in two wards just as the opposition TOP 09 and Severocesi.cz. The Communists (KSCM) will further only have one representative in the Senate.
