Presidential 'tug-of-war' ahead for Czech government

Heading a wobbly centre-right minority government, Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas has congratulated leftist Milos Zeman on his presidential victory, but analysts warn of a looming "tug-of-war". Zeman, who campaigned on an anti-austerity platform, on Saturday trounced aristocrat Karel Schwarzenberg -- foreign minister in the austerity-driven Necas government -- in the Czech Republic's first-ever direct presidential election. Necas, in office since 2010 and responsible for painful budget cuts amid a recession, greeted the news of the left-wing Zeman's win with cool optimism. "I'm convinced our cooperation will be absolutely normal," Necas told reporters in Prague on Saturday -- but observers say he may soon change his tune. "Milos Zeman is a strong player, and he will try to show that being elected by the people means he's earned some authority on the political scene," Tomas Lebeda, an analyst from Charles University in Prague, told AFP. "I think the government is in for a tug-of-war," he said. Known for his sharp wit and for not mincing his words, the 69-year-old Zeman, himself a former premier from 1998-2002, has skewered Necas for steps including tax hikes on food and medicines as joblessness soared to nearly 10 percent last year. "A leftist president must oppose a right-wing government," Zeman said on Saturday, while also quipping about record-low popular support for Necas. Zeman's rise comes as Necas has seen backing for his cabinet in the 200-seat parliament shrink from 118 to just 98 votes. He has been surviving thanks to former allies now sitting as independent lawmakers. He has so far survived five no-confidence motions by the Zeman-allied left-wing opposition and three confidence motions he called himself. Should Necas's vulnerable government fail to ride out its term, analysts say Zeman would also pose a challenge for the left-wing Social Democrats, which polls show would likely win a snap election or the next regularly scheduled poll in 2014. The new president, whose term will expire in 2018, is still a power to be reckoned with in the party, which he chaired in 1993-2001. "The president may start playing the role of a leader of the left-wing executive and try to persuade everyone that he's the one formulating left-wing policy for the government," said Lebeda. Led currently by lacklustre lawyer Bohuslav Sobotka, the Social Democrats might find Zeman calling the shots. "Imagine Sobotka going to see Zeman with a cabinet line-up after he has won elections. Zeman might say: 'How come you left out this one, and where's this lady? Get out!'," Michal Pink, a political analyst at Masaryk University in the second Czech city of Brno, told AFP recently. Heavily reliant on car exports to western Europe, notably to Germany, the Czech economy sank into recession a year ago after posting 1.9-percent growth in 2011. Zeman struck a chord with austerity-weary voters by vowing to be a hands-on president and attending sittings of both the government and parliament. An economist, he focused in his campaign largely on "voters from lower-income groups, older and less educated," political analyst Josef Mlejnek observed. "He's promised to tell the government what a miserable life people in the Czech Republic are living, and I believe Mr. Milos Zeman that he will keep his promise," voter Miroslav Drobny told AFP at Zeman's Prague victory rally. "If you veto a law after you didn't say a word against it in cabinet or parliament, you're a hypocrite," Zeman said on the campaign trail. Zeman replaces eurosceptic Vaclav Klaus, whose second and final term expires on March 7.