Zeman's fans want to push through his election as Czech president, MfD Czech Social Democrats against risky foreign missions ...
Czech govt survives no confidence motion provoked by opposition ... writes. Zeman, 63, did not rule out such candidacy about a fortnight ago, but said he would run for president only if the head of state were chosen in direct elections, not by the two houses of parliament as is the case now, and if he enjoyed a broad political support. Zeman's statement annoyed Paroubek, MfD writes. It says Zeman's allies ponder the possibility of certain CSSD deputies helping the current prime minister, Mirek Topolanek (Civic Democrats, ODS), if his coalition lost its majority in the lower house, something Topolanek admitted last week, faced by several "rebels" among the deputies from each of the three coalition parties, including his ODS. A source close to Zeman said he and other allies of Zeman are far from being fond of Paroubek. "It is necessary to unseat him in next spring's election of the CSSD chairman and replace him with someone who would better listen to Zeman.
However, if the CSSD suffered a fiasco in the [regional and Senate] elections this autumn, we believe that even certain regional leaders would call on Zeman to return to help the party," the source said. MfD recalls that the CSSD's regional election leaders include a few supporters of Zeman, such as Jaroslav Foldyna and former ministers Jaroslav Palas, Milada Emmerova and Radko Martinek. "If Topolanek's government became a minority one, no-confidence in it will be expressed [by the Chamber of Deputies] as some CSSD deputies would not take part in such a vote," the source, a fan of Zeman, told the daily. According to MfD, Paroubek reacted calmly to the information. "I'm fully concentrating on the autumn elections in which the CSSD has a chance to succeed much better than four or eight years ago under the leadership of Zeman," Paroubek told MfD. "I have nothing to fear, keeping posts has never been my priority. If pensioners want to enjoy such games, let them do so," Paroubek said, alluding to the fact that Zeman, PM in 1998-2002, did not run in the 2002 elections, retired, and has lived in his countryside house in south Moravia since. Still before the mid-2006 elections, Zeman and Paroubek, then prime minister, were allies, but later they fell out, reportedly because they disagreed on the post-election political set up. Zeman reportedly pushed for a new power-sharing pact between the CSSD and the ODS but Paroubek was against this solution, MfD writes. Under the "opposition pact" from 1998-2002, the then opposition ODS kept Zeman's CSSD minority government afloat for a significant portion of power. After the ODS's narrow election victory in 2006, some expected an ODS minority government to rule with the arch-rival CSSD's support. However, the ODS finally formed a government along with the centrist Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and the Greens (SZ), that was pushed through with the help by Milos Melcak and Michal Pohanka, two deputies elected for the CSSD. The fact that the two abandoned the CSSD and backed the coalition is widely ascribed to Zeman. A Zeman-Paroubek conflict broke out at the CSSD programme conference two weeks ago, shadowing the conference's own agenda. Paroubek then asked Zeman to apologise for having in the late 1990s signed a contract with lawyer Zdenek Altner that was disadvantageous to the party. The CSSD also reproaches Zeman for having "incited" Melcak and Pohanka to support Topolanek's government. "Maybe he will found a socialist party of his own, which would collaborate with the right. This is his own business and I wish him to enjoy himself," Paroubek told MfD, referring to Zeman. A few weeks ago, Zeman's fans established a civic association with the preliminary name Milos Zeman's Friends. Its goal is to present Zeman's opinions and make politics a public affair again, instead of a matter of narrow groups. The association has reportedly been coordinated by Miroslav Gregr, 78, former industry and trade minister in Zeman's cabinet. To date, almost 250 people have shown interest in joining the association, and 10 of the CSSD's 71 deputies have asked about its plans. "I think that about five CSSD deputies could join the association," one of its organisers is quoted as saying.
(Ceske Noviny)
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