PRAGUE — The new Czech president attacked the country's media on his first day in office Friday, saying some of them "brainwash" and "manipulate public opinion."
Milos
Zeman’s outburst, shortly after being sworn in as this country’s third
president since the collapse of communism, did not have a stated target.
But his sparring with the country’s press goes back to the time when he
led the Czech government, 1998 to 2002.
In
2001, Zeman threatened to destroy a weekly that accused his government
of non-transparent policies supporting corruption, triggering protests
by journalists at home and abroad.
He said Friday he had in mind
those media “that deal with brainwashing, media manipulation,
manipulating the public opinion. (Those) whose representatives have
little knowledge but a huge self-confidence. People who write about
everything and understand nothing.”
Zeman, 68, staged a big return
to power by defeating conservative Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg
in the country’s first direct election for president. After
Czechoslovakia split into Slovakia and the Czech Republic in 1993, the Czech
Republic’s first presidents, Vaclav Havel and Vaclav Klaus, were
elected by Parliament. But the bickering at the last two elections led
to a change in the law.
Zeman, who took the presidential oath
Friday during a joint session of both houses of parliament at the Prague
Castle, replaces Klaus, an outspoken euroskeptic whose end of term was
marred by his decision to halt court proceedings in several high-profile
fraud cases, infuriating many Czechs who are fed up with widespread corruption.
Zeman is considered more favorable toward the 27-nation European Union. The Czech Republic joined the union in 2004.
“I want to be the president of all citizens,” Zeman said.
Under
the Constitution, the president has the power to pick the prime
minister after a general election and to appoint members of the Central
Bank board. With the approval of Parliament’s upper house, the president
also appoints Constitutional Court judges.
Zeman offered to be a
mediator on the political scene “but in no way a judge because that is
not a proper role for the president.”
“I offer the presidential office to be a place for dialogue,” he said.
Besides the media, Zeman pledged he would focus on fighting corruption and right-wing extremism.
“One of the biggest dangers we are facing are godfather-like mafias that reside on the body of Czech society. They suck blood out of this body and don’t return any added value.”
