President to speak in Lower House on Tuesday, contents of speech kept tightly under wraps

The contents of a speech Czech President Václav Klaus will deliver in the Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday have been kept tightly under wraps but there is strong speculation that he will focus on the current direction the country is taking. The last time the president spoke in the Chamber of Deputies was during his first term in 2003. Then, Mr Klaus strongly criticised the Social Democrat-led government of Vladimír Špidla for the high deficit as well as some of its reforms; it is unclear what tact the president will take this time around as the current government prepares to implement broad austerity measures. Some, such as the speaker of the Lower House, Miroslava Němcová of the Civic Democrats, have indicated they expect the speech to be one of substance; others, such as the opposition Social Democrats have already criticised Mr Klaus for not speaking more often before MPs. By comparison, his predecessor, Václav Havel, addressed the Lower House on eight occasions.