Fiasco for Spidla: Pithart humiliated, Klaus triumphant

Parliament's first attempt to elect a successor to President Vaclav Havel ended in failure on Wednesday, after none of the candidates managed to secure enough votes in the three-round poll. The whole process must now start again from scratch, but it's almost certain the country will be left temporarily without a head of state on February 2nd when Mr Havel steps down. Rob Cameron spent the day at Prague Castle, where the joint parliamentary session took place, and has this report:

Fiasco for Spidla: Pithart humiliated, Klaus triumphant

Photo; CTK

President Vaclav Havel addressed MPs and Senators for the last time on Wednesday, as politicians formally embarked on process of choosing his successor. Mr Havel wished them luck, but unfortunately luck wasn't enough. In the end if was cold political calculation that won the day, and the election ended in stalemate. The government's compromise candidate - Senate chairman Petr Pithart of the Christian Democrats - was humiliated, beaten into second place by a leading opposition figure, former prime minister Vaclav Klaus. I managed to catch up with Mr Klaus as he emerged from the castle's baroque Spanish Hall.

"I think for me the results are very positive, and they are much better than most of the press - both Czech and international - expected. I think for me it's a good challenge to continue because the support was visibly higher than for any other candidate."

But not a total victory because tonight you have not been elected president.

"Yes, that's definitely true."

And will you stand in a new set of elections?

Vaclav Klaus, photo: CTK

"Definitely."

And are you confident of winning those elections?

"I am a sportsman who must be confident to win."

And the man he beat in this nine-hour grudge match - Petr Pithart - was in no mood to talk to journalists after voting ended. But what of lame duck Jaroslav Bures, official candidate of the senior coalition Social Democrats? He remained philosophical, despite being unceremoniously dispatched in the first round.

"I'm not the winner, that's the feeling I have."

Are you surprised?

Petr Pithart, photo: CTK

"No. it was a possible outcome of the elections today, and it came true."

Mr Bures's chances were doomed from the beginning, but even so he was clearly surprised at the number of Social Democrats who apparently failed to vote for him in the first round. Social Democrat senator Richard Falbr told me the election had brought into question the credibility of both his party and the coalition government as a whole.

"I was not in favour of Mr Bures, but even those who promised to give votes to him didn't vote for him. This is a very bad result for the Social Democrats, and I hope that the media will make a perfect evaluation of our behaviour."

I think the media will be very critical of Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla for the way he's handled this election, because it does seem that (a) he does not have control over his own party - he cannot impose discipline on his own deputies and senators, and (b) that the governing coalition, even though it has a majority in both houses, was not capable of coming up with a viable candidate for president. It's fairly embarrassing for the government, isn't it?

Jaroslav Bures, photo: CTK

"Yes, I think it is. First of all, as you said, the coalition should have fielded one candidate, after all the coalition has a majority. This looks crazy because we're not able to come to an agreement about one person, and it's very embarrassing for the coalition. It's a loss for the prime minister, and I can tell you that the Social Democrats are divided. Some want to have Milos Zeman in the castle, and they did all they could to make this election unsuccessful. And the second group is disorientated because of the results of the elections."

And former leader Milos Zeman's chances are looking far better now this first attempt has failed. When parliament meets again, apparently in about four weeks' time, it's likely to be a showdown between two political giants - Vaclav Klaus and Milos Zeman.

But won't this disastrous first attempt at electing a successor to President Havel have a detrimental effect the Czech Republic's - and the Czech government's - image abroad? That's a question I put to Social Democrat senator and former foreign minister Jan Kavan, who last year was elected chairman of the United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.

"I see and fully understand from the point of view of our friends abroad that the situation isn't quite understandable - why we received only 84 votes for a candidate who basically is a candidate of the coalition government, and why the opposition candidate received more votes. But that's the peculiarity of Czech politics. I may regret it, but I have to live with it."

Jan Kavan, ending that report by Rob Cameron on an inconclusive presidential election.