Poll: Klaus regarded best Czech prime minister

A poll conducted by the SC&C agency for the Mlada fronta Dnes daily suggests that Czechs consider current President Vaclav Klaus to have been the best prime minister of the independent Czech Republic established in 1993 after the split of Czechoslovakia. A total of 39 percent of respondents say that Mr Klaus, who was prime minister between 1992 and 1998, has been the best head of government. He is followed by former Social Democrat leader Milos Zeman (in office 1998-2002) with 20 percent. Current PM Jiri Paroubek as well as Josef Tosovsky, who headed a caretaker cabinet in 1998, ended up third with 14-percent support each. Eight percent of respondents said they preferred Stanislav Gross as Czech PM and 6 percent view current EU Commissioner Vladimir Spidla as the best head of government after 1993.