JUNE 23, 1998

P R E S S  R E V I E W

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All newspapers today discuss the upcoming coalition talks and the formation of a new cabinet.

MLADA FRONTA DNES is sceptical about the possibility of forming a stable government headed by Milos Zeman with the Christian Democrats and the Freedom Union as coalition partners. The newspaper recalls that the Christian Democrats have always preferred a right-of-center coalition, and that the Freedom Union keeps highlighting the differences between its programme and the Social Democrats' aims. And the Social Democrats have openly shown their dislike for the Freedom Union. The newspaper sees the main danger to the stability of the would-be cabinet in the parties' differing views about the completion of the privatisation process, the tax burden, pension and social system reform and some other key issues. "It would be possible to form a coalition government of the Social Democrats, Christian Democrats and the Freedom Union if their leaders could overcome their personal dislikes, but such a government would not be viable," MLADA FRONTA DNES concludes.

LIDOVE NOVINY points to the fact that leaders of both the two strongest parties, Milos Zeman and Vaclav Klaus, are trying to reduce the role of president Havel to a minimum during political talks on a new cabinet. Whether the president will have to enter the talks or not depends much on the behaviour of the political leaders, the newspaper points out. If they lead political talks without letting their emotions and personal animosities get in the way, the president will be able to stay back, which would help to clear the political atmosphere and contribute to the creation of a stable government, LIDOVE NOVINY writes.

ZEMSKE NOVINY comments on the idea of party leaders not being present in the new cabinet. Many people voted for party leaders rather than political manifestos, the newspaper points out and suggests that it would be almost a betrayal of the voters if the leaders were not members of the cabinet. Many politicians dislike each other. But that's their problem and it's up to them to overcome mutual animosities on behalf of stabilizing the situation in the country. The choice of the voters should overrule any personal emotions, ZEMSKE NOVINY concludes.

And MLADA FRONTA DNES again: the newspaper quotes an unnamed source from the Social Democrat leadership as saying that president Havel had mapped out the political development even before the elections. According to the alleged plan, the country would be administered by a minority cabinet comprised of the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats. The Freedom Union would provide tacit support to the government but after about a year, Josef Lux would call for its reconstruction. Milos Zeman would be removed from the post of premier and the Freedom Union which by then might not be led by Jan Ruml, would sneak into the cabinet. In the newspaper's opinion, president Havel would have two options on how to remove Milos Zeman and Jan Ruml: either to convince them himself to leave, or exert pressure to initiate the changes on his favourite people in both parties, that is Stanislav Gross in the Social Democratic Party and Vladimir Mlynar in the Freedom Union.

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