The first round of the Czech Republic's first-ever direct presidential election will be held on Friday, January 11, and Saturday, January 12.
In the USA, it is a commonplace that newspapers endorse presidential candidates. This newspaper has decided to do the same. This is the summary of a longer blog post published earlier today in Czech here.
The following endorsement is based on a belief that the president of the Czech Republic should be a master of the art of moderation and an adherent of the philosophy of "less is more". This means to be able to talk and act only when it is really necessary. To have natural authority and charisma, but to be able to restrain from excessive self-promotion. Actually, it will not be a bad thing at all if we don't hear about our president for a week or two. And, most importantly, the president should never be dividing the society.
This is true in general, but especially after ten years of President Klaus's political hyper-activism, almost daily presence in the media, and frequent controversial remarks and decisions. Now, the Czech Republic needs a more calm, moderate and "quiet" president.
Klaus's amnesty means massive frauds won't get punished
Neither Fischer, nor Zeman
Let's look at the candidates' past.
Politically speaking, neither Vladimir Franz nor Tana Fisherova has one. Moreover, these two candidates have failed to convince voters that they are serious about their presidential ambitions. It is not clear what they offer, and how would they behave if elected.
By contrast, Jana Bobosikova has a rich political history. Her membership in the Communist Party's youth organization in the 1980s, her infamous involvement in the Czech Television crisis in 2000, her 2008 presidential candidacy being backed by the Communists (KSCM), and the nationalist populism of her Suverenita party. This makes her an unacceptable candidate.
Jan Fischer is another presidential candidate "haunted" by his political past. He was a member of the Communist Party in the 1980s, and the compromise prime minister of a caretaker government between 2009 and 2010. His campaign portrays him as the man of change, but it's hard to see it as anything else than an empty promise.
Milos Zeman has built his presidential campaign on his political experience. However, voters should not forget that this includes Zeman's governing style when he was prime minister between 1998 and 2002, the era marked by the infamous "opposition treaty" signed by Zeman and Klaus. This is more than enough to discredit Zeman as a suitable candidate.
In sum: if Fischer brings a cosmetic change at best, Zeman means the continuation of the Vaclav Klaus era. Zeman as president would disrupt and divide the society.
Ambition versus moderation
Premysl Sobotka is a more acceptable candidate. However, he is nominated by the ruling Civic Democratic Party (ODS), which has been going through a severe crisis of confidence in the past years. Also, the ideal president should be much more pro-European than Sobotka with his emphasis on "our sovereignty".
Zuzana Roithova, nominated by the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), appears to have no significant flaws. Also, no significant virtues. She has failed to find a topic that would allow her to approach voters outside the KDU-CSL support bloc. Moreover, the ideal candidate should have much more liberal beliefs than Roithova, who has voted against an anti-homophobia resolution in the European Parliament.
This newspaper believes that the best candidates are Jiri Dienstbier and Karel Schwarzenberg, nominated by the opposition Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) and senior government TOP 09, respectively.
The candidates' age is ambiguous. Dienstbier (43) is probably the most dynamic and energetic of the candidates, but he may be considered too young. Also, Dienstbier's dynamism is not necessarily such a positive trait, because the next president should be a calming factor in Czech politics.
Schwarzenberg (75) is in good shape for his age. He has more life experience than any other candidate, and with this comes charisma and natural authority, together with a good reputation and contacts abroad. However, he may appear to be past his prime, and he is a key figure in a widely unpopular government.
Schwarzenberg's TOP 09 has not played any significant role in his presidential campaign. By contrast, Dienstbier's campaign is in accord with the CSSD's party line to a degree that he actually gives the impression of an opposition leader running for prime minister.
This means a choice between a young, ambitious politician closely associated with his own party, and an older, more mature candidate who is influenced by parliamentary politics to a much lesser degree. From this point of view, Schwarzenberg seems to be a much more predictable and unifying candidate than Dienstbier.
In addition, Dienstbier has actively sought and accepted support from the KSCM, which is unimaginable in the case of Schwarzenberg.
For these reasons, this daily recommends Karel Schwarzenberg for president.
