Press Review

All of the Czech newspapers report on Tuesday's setbacks in the attempt to find a joint governing coalition candidate for president, and both LIDOVE NOVINY and HOSPODARSKE NOVINY say a direct public vote is becoming ever more possible.

But commentator Karel Steigerwald argues against a direct vote in MLADA FRONTA DNES, in a piece entitled the nation is not mature and will vote for an idiot'. They could vote for Helena Vondrackova or another singer Karel Gott, and they could even vote for TV Nova head Vladimir Zelezny, he warns.

And speaking of crooner Karel Gott, LIDOVE NOVINY carries reactions to the Gott for President' campaign launched by a group of rock musicians. It would be very interesting, said Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda with a smile, he would really be the kind of president no other countries had. Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla refused to comment.

One of Mr Spidla main rivals in the Social Democrats, Labour and Social Affairs Minister Zdenek Skromach, is shown at work in MLADA FRONTA DNES, or rather working out' on a bench while visiting a new physiotherapy centre in Havirov. His spokesperson said it was the start of the 112-kilogramme minister's efforts to get into better shape.

Support for gay marriage is on the rise in the Czech Republic, according to a poll quoted in LIDOVE NOVINY. While 38 percent were in favour of registered partnerships in 1999, that number is now up to 49 percent, the poll suggests. A spokesman for the gay group G-liga says he is pleased by the development, but adds that the most important thing is where the parties in parliament stand on the issue.

MLADA FRONTA DNES carries a long feature on another recent survey, this time on the family in Czech society. Many of the findings point to the fact that Czech women still bear the lion's share of responsibilities in the home. For instance, 48 percent of husbands think both partners should do the cleaning, but only 24 percent of husbands actually do so.

Feminist Patricie Aus tells the daily that Czech women still think it is natural for them to do the shopping and cleaning. She also refers to what she calls the long-term social stigma' which means men bring home the bacon and women look after the home.

Moving onto a less controversial tradition, LIDOVE NOVINY carries a photo of two barmen in traditional outfits taking part in a beer pulling contest in west Bohemia, while an adjacent photo shows judges measuring the head of a beer with a special ruler. Barman Jaroslav Trojanek of the Svejk restaurant in Nepomuk, near Pilsen was crowned the region's champion beer-puller.

And finally, MLADA FRONTA DNES reports on a special event which will be of great interest to Czech sports fans. In two weeks time the Olympic champion aerial freestyle skier Ales Valenta is going to perform in an exhibition event. The venue? At the bottom of Prague's Wenceslas Square, where a special temporary jump is to be erected.