According to unofficial information, Culture Minister Vaclav Jehlicka (KDU-CSL) has decided to dismiss NK director Vlastimil Jezek in connection with a competition for a new library building. Common sense says Jehlicka should sack Jezek either after the forthcoming Senate elections, or he should have done it months ago as soon as it became clear that Jezek made a mistake in not securing that the land on which the new library Czech PM to land in Beijing early on Thursday, stay three days ...
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Czech coalition would lose elections now - poll ... building was to stand was transferred to the library, Zverina writes. The botched competition evolved into a lengthy, complicated case, but Jehlicka now pretends that Prague Mayor Pavel Bem (senior ruling Civic Democrats, ODS) and the ODS-dominated City Hall played no role in it. This is interesting effort to avoid problems in the government coalition, Zverina says. However, Jezek's dismissal may be good advertising for him before the Senate elections. Jezek may be seen as a victim, a fighter for the modern new NK building design by renown architect Jan Kaplicky, and this may divert attention for his own mistakes in organising the competition, Zverina writes. He says Jezek may then win the votes of many frustrated fans of Kaplicky as well as of those who dislike the ODS rule in the city. But if Jezek fails to be elected and especially if the Christian Democrats are not successful in the elections in general, Jehlicka's position may shatter, Zverina says. It will be easy to say then that Jehlicka and his hasty steps are to blame for the party's failure, Zverina writes. Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek (ODS) ended his summer round visits of individual ministries on Friday, always patting his ministers on their backs and appreciating their good performance, and nothing else could have been expected, Petr Kolar writes elsewhere in Lidove noviny. It would be rather surprising if Topolanek announced any changes in the cabinet's lineup now, Kolar says. Due to the tense situation in both junior coalition parties, the Christian Democrats and the Greens (SZ), any replacement of the ministers nominated by his coalition partners is out of question, Kolar writes. Moreover, Topolanek also cannot sack an ODS minister before the autumn Senate and regional elections and, last but not least, before the following ODS election congress. It would be unwise of Topolanek to create a new enemy, a sacked minister, who could oppose him at the congress, Kolar notes. Even Topolanek must know that the cabinet needs to be reconstructed, Kolar says, and mentions Vlasta Parkanova (defence, KDU-CSL), Jiri Cunek (local development, KDU-CSL), Petr Gandalovic (agriculture, ODS), Ales Rebicek (transport, ODS) and Dzamila Stehlikova (human rights and minorities, SZ) as weak ministers. Topolanek has to wait and reconstruct the cabinet only after the elections and party congresses - if he still rules the country then, Kolar concludes. Topolanek said on Friday he would be against any of his sons attending a military school - one cannot imagine any other prime minister of a NATO member country say such a thing, Jiri Hanak writes in Pravo today. What a way to appreciates the military and its importance for the country, Hanak says with irony. Topolanek, who rather unwillingly, attended a secondary military school himself, made the statement after receiving a small uniform for his baby son from Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova. Hanak recalls that British Prince Harry was recently serving in Afghanistan - and not in any office, but on the front line. This is probably because the military has more prestige and respect in Britain than in the Czech Republic, Hanak writes. During his visit, Topolanek praised Parkanova for her work. One cannot know whether Parkanova deserves the praise or not because one does not have answers to the following question: is the Czech military able to defend the country? Hanak says.
(Ceske Noviny)
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