Press Review

Milos Zeman's well timed attack on his successor has proved counterproductive however. The papers all describe the former Prime Minister as a has-been who has failed to come to terms with the fact that his political career is over. It does not take a great deal to see that Prime Minister Spidla is more honest, more hard working and an altogether nicer man, says Mlada Fronta Dnes. Unfortunately that is not enough, the paper adds.

Does the coalition government deserve to be brought down, the paper asks. The answer to that is YES. Do we have anyone better to replace him? A resounding NO, the paper says. So if the Prime Minister survives Friday's vote of no confidence it will not be thanks to his strength but due to his opponents' weakness. A no-win situation for the country whatever the outcome, the paper says. Hospodarske Noviny agrees, pointing out that the country has little to lose even if the Cabinet falls. This government has done nothing significant for the country, says Hospodarske Noviny. It is striving to build a welfare state that does not motivate its citizens to take their lives into their own hands and show initiative. Those who do are punished by high taxation, while the government re-distributes funds not always to the best advantage.

So - summed up - the Cabinet is likely to stay -but will anyone cheer? Pravo notes that whatever the outcome of the vote it is clear even now that the public has little confidence in this governing coalition. No government has managed to squander its popularity quite so fast, Pravo says. The number of Czechs who are happy with the present government is down to 27 percent. In just one year the Spidla Cabinet has managed to lose 45% of its supporters.