Election year starts with sharp Paroubek-Topolanek duel.

(From Czech News Agency)

PRAGUE, Jan 1 (CTK) - PM Jiri Paroubek (Social Democrats, CSSD) and Mirek Topolanek, opposition Civic Democrats (ODS) head, accused each other of lies, facts manipulation, ignorance and arrogance on Czech Television just after President Vaclav Klaus called for a fair and matter-of-fact election campaign today.

The Czechs will elect the Chamber of Deputies, municipal assemblies and one third of the Senate this year.

The ODS has for a long time been the favourite of the general election scheduled for June, but the runner-up CSSD has succeeded in closing the double digit gap in voter preferences to a mere 5 percent since Paroubek became PM in late April.

The ODS would like to emerge from opposition after eight years while the CSSD would like to win the elections for a third time in a row.

The Questions of Vaclav Moravec discussion programme on the public CT indicated right on the first day of the election year that the forthcoming pre-election period will see many sharp conflicts, personnel attacks and emotional allusions to political rivals.

Paroubek and Topolanek also recalled on CT today the scandals of their collaborators or party colleagues.