Press briefing of Prime Minister and Chairman of the ODS, Mirek Topolánek after negotiations of the ODS and the Green Party on 13.11.2006

Martin Schmarcz, head of press unit: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to short press briefing after negotiations of the ODS and the Green Party on forming new government. It will be Martin Bursík, chairman of the Green Party, who will be given the floor as the first one, so that he could express his opinion.

Martin Bursík, Chairman of the Green Party: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is a very nice hall, which I know only as a viewer from dramatic situations of our political development; we have just finished negotiation with the ODS. As you can hear, the reason of postponement of our negotiation till Monday was my health indisposition and I have not been all right so far. We were coming to this negotiation with certain misgiving whether our coalition partners, above all from the ODS and the KDU-ČSL, had left the concept of early elections. We were watching the voting on Wednesday in the Chamber of Deputies on passing the amendment of the Constitution with qualm, because we perceived and we perceive the amendment of the Constitution as one of possible ways to early elections. Today's discussion assured us that our partners from the ODS had not abandoned the concept of early elections that they seek consensus of political parties on a model, on a governance architecture, which would get us away from existing political situation and concurrently that it should not be a government, which would govern throughout the entire election period. But it is just beginning of negotiations, it will of course, depend on the content of negotiations. What is typical for the Greens, it is in fact the most important matter for us during political negotiations, to form our own space to push through our political priorities that we had brought to policy. But what we regard as parameter for negotiation to which we had been invited, as parameter, which is very important for us, it is mainly consensus on early elections, and only after that negotiation on further details. We are prepared at the moment to nominate experts to the government and we wish the government to be formed on the most expert basis as possible.

Martin Schmarcz, head of press unit: Now the Prime Minister and Chairman of the ODS, Mirek Topolánek, has the floor.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister and Chairman of the ODS: Thank you for the floor. I think we are approaching the moment when I cease to attend press briefings, because the extent of misinterpretation of these briefings is nearly unprecedented. I must say that the misinterpretation consists in, what I managed to find out after the press briefing in the morning, in your outputs. I can see here the same persons who were here in the morning, so I am looking at you. That was as an introduction. The second matter, I think that quite evident is, what I said in the morning, it means that we are striving after a broad agreement. The broad agreement should be based on duration of the government; it should be based on the fact that the government will not act throughout the entire election period. It concerns the programme of the government, so that the government would have a reason for its existence. That is in fact all, what I want to say regarding it. I must say that I am convinced after those three negotiations with the KDU-ČSL, with the ČSSD and the Green Party that we will continue in these negotiations much more intensively and that we will reach a solution, which will enable to form such a government. Thank you.

Martin Schmarcz, head of press unit: Ladies and gentlemen, the Prime Minister is leaving for Ostrava and therefore I would like to ask the Chairman of the Green Party, Martin Bursík, whether he would like to continue in the press briefing.

Martin Bursík, Chairman of the Green Party: You can certainly ask questions.

Martin Schmarcz, head of press unit: So, your questions, please.

A newsman: Perhaps I did not understand your statement. You said you had been afraid the ODS´s abandon of the concept of early elections. Mr. Topolánek said in the morning that the concept of early elections in the next year failed. What are you implying by that? Do they push ahead early elections or not?

Martin Bursík, Chairman of the Green Party: We were the first who have asked this question, which you are asking now; when we are speaking about early elections it does not mean that the possibility finishes on 31st December 2007. We would be glad, and we would regard it as a rational and reputable in relation to the general public, if we succeeded in realization of early elections by the end of 2007 at the latest and this is our objective in the course of negotiations with further political partners. However, it is quite possible we will fail in reaching a consensus within this limited time horizon, in 2007, but that we will find it in 2008. It will be still a matter of early elections and it is crucial for us, because a government formed based on cooperation of four political parties, based on a compromise of the ODS and the ČSSD, is a government, which would not have such solid bases to be able to govern and push through political reforms throughout the entire election period. That would be a government, which would help the country out of a tight spot, which would start reforms, which would try to reach an agreement on the most principal issues, on what is necessary in the area of pension, health and environmental reform, but it would not be a model, which would be forever, especially with regard to the fact that only the Communist Party would remain in the opposition. In other words, we do not regard these negotiations as searching a definite solution, on no account; limits and that time horizon of governance is absolutely crucial for us. In case our partners cease to speak about a concrete datum, which should be reached, then we will leave those negotiation and we will leave our partners to reach an agreement themselves.

Martin Schmarcz, head of press unit: Mr. Drahoňovský, televize Prima.

Drahoňovský, televize Prima: I would like to ask a question – at the first briefing the year 2009 was mentioned as the utmost date. There would be still early elections, but only one year would leave to the end of election period.

Martin Bursík, Chairman of the Green Party: That would not be early elections. Take into consideration that the second debate today has shifted the date 2009 back to 2008.

Petr Tluchoř, Chairman of the Group of Deputies of the ODS: If you allow, just a small remark. For us it is the most important and it is necessary to inform you about it, that any further agreement is possible only on condition of participation of four democratic parties. And it is a great value of all those three rounds of negotiations with the KDU-ČSL, with the Social Democratic Party and with the Green Party. The principal value of the morning session with the Social Democratic Party is that there occurred certain shift regarding the fact that there is no insistence on great coalition or on exclusive negotiations with the Social Democratic Party. We get down to our business on the basis of four democratic parties in the Chamber of Deputies and negotiations are beginning.

Martin Schmarcz, head of press unit: Ladies and gentlemen, further question, please.

Oldřich Danda, Právo daily: I would like to ask does it mean that the date of early elections in 2008 is under question for you ... inarticulate.

Martin Bursík, Chairman of the Green Party: It is possible to say it is like this. We would like the early elections be held as soon a possible. We can still see two constitutional ways that could lead to them. The first one is to use all the three attempts and the second variant is adoption of amendment of the Constitution on self-dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies. We will be striving after enforcement of the amendment of the Constitution, we would like to have it included in the Constitution as a safety lock and concurrently we will be trying to negotiate political agreement on governance in this country, but only for a limited time. If we abandoned the idea of spring early election in 2007 during our negotiations with the President and postponed it to autumn 2007, then we are ready to reach an agreement in which summer of 2008 would be the utmost date of early elections. But any further term would be a term, which would be so close to the term of regular elections that the adjective early would cease to have sense. In other terms, some date that would be more distant would be date, which excludes our participation in such a government.

Oldřich Danda, Právo daily: Can you say why would the four-coalition be unacceptable for you for the entire period, or until 2009?

Martin Bursík, Chairman of the Green Party: There are several reasons for that. The first one is that it would be extraordinary and deep compromise, which would not be a basis for a reform government, which would realize reforms at such an extent, which the CR needs. It means that our ideas on modernization of economy, on modernization of society will have to be reduced significantly. And we perceive it as a model of governance, which is temporary, to which political parties get under pressure, in which we are, but not a long-term model of governance for this country. The second reason I have mentioned here is that every democratic country needs democratic opposition and the Communist Party is not a political party, which could play a role of constructive opposition, yet, because it is a party, which has a problem with its position in the system of democratic political parties in the CR. In other words, also this is a great handicap of this model.

Martin Schmarcz, head of press unit: Are there any further questions, please?

A newsman: Can I ask a question on the standpoint of the ODS? Mr. Tluchoř has already spoken about it. Mr. Topolánek was speaking about the government of the EU presidency in the morning. The EU presidency will be in spring 2009, what is the situation, then? You have abandoned the .... inarticulate ... since morning?

Petr Tluchoř, Chairman of the Group of Deputies of the ODS: No. I am not going to speak about any date, March, April, May, or any other date 2008, 2009. For us there is a great value the fact that four parties are engaged in the process of finding a solution and everything else, the form of the government, date of early elections or other elections are parameters, about which we will debate later on.

Martin Schmarcz, head of press unit: Ladies and gentlemen, if there are no other questions, thank you for your attention.