Prague, March 12 (CTK) – Milos Zeman would like the Czech president to have the possibility of legislative initiative, he told Blesk.cz on Sunday, but Prime Minister and Social Democrat (CSSD) head Bohuslav Sobotka said he does not think that the presidential powers should be extended in this sense.
Zeman said that if re-elected next year, he would like to invite deputies and senators who could submit bills on his behalf.
Sobotka said at a press conference after a meeting of the new narrow party leadership, elected at the party’s congress on Friday, that there have been quite a lot of bills and that they should not be submitted at any cost.
He said bills can be submitted by the government, lawmakers, the Senate as well as regions. The problem rather rests in the frequent amending of laws, which makes the legislation incomprehensible for laypeople.
“We, Social Democrats, are not in favour of strengthening the powers of the president of the republic at any cost. We believe that powers should only be changed where this is meaningful and useful,” Sobotka said.
Zeman would also like to push through the duty to go to the polls and the voters’ possibility to form their own lists of candidates across the political spectrum in the general and regional elections, not only in the local ones.
Zeman said the Czech president lost the legislative initiative in 1993, when Vaclav Havel was stripped of it.
“As for me, I would like it very much if legislative activity was returned to the hands of the president,” Zeman said.
He said he wants to offer to voters the continuity of the exercise of the presidential post and the defence of the interests of the Czech Republic, including economic.
If re-elected, he would also like to work more on “active citizenship.” He said everyone should participate in public affairs administration and that everyone should have a greater scope for this than in the past.
Zeman said he is not afraid of a possible loss in the presidential election next year. If he were, he would not be running at all. He said unlike other candidates, he has where to retreat. He would rest in a rocking chair, surrounded by books, in his country home in the Vysocina Uplands.
He said his decision to run was influenced by two things relatively recently.
One of them was his week-long holiday in Vysocina, when he found out on cross-country skis that his “legs pain so much” that he does not manage to cover the same distances as in the past.
This reduces the attractiveness of Vysocina minimally for winter holidays, he said.
The other reason were media attacks on him, which spurred him to run again, Zeman said.
He said his decision to be defending his post is supported by the whole family, including his wife. No one in his surroundings knew until Thursday what decision he will make.
Zeman announced his decision to his supporters at Prague Castle, the presidential seat, on Thursday. On Friday, he informed the public at a press conference.
