New Government

A few weeks ago, when Jan Fischer entered the political arena, many Czechs had never really heard of him. This Friday, his cabinet was officially appointed by President Vaclav Klaus and can get on with the job – part of which will be shouldering the rotating EU presidency.

Jan Fischer inherits his new job from Mirek Topolanek whose government collapsed in March. For many, Fischer is a blank page, critics describe him as a grey mouse; an unexciting technocrat. But the new man in Prague is eager to defend himself in his new position.

"I am not a puppet. I am a person who has a accepted an offer; an offer that was the result of a political agreement," he says.

Work rather than visions

So far the 58-year-old Fischer has been the president of the Czech statistics office and he says he intends to keep a low profile rather than turning into full-blooded politician.

"This won't be a government of vision," he says. It will be a government of hard work. And I really hope that we'll be able to do something for our country. We will lead the Czech Republic into new elections, and we'll do this quietly and with respect for all of our international obligations."

Those obligations first and foremost are the EU Presidency which is currently held by Prague. Officially the term lasts until June 30, but many critics say it really ended with the collapse of the Topolanek's government, which some perceived as an embarrassment for the country. For Topolanek's successor the EU-job will mostly consist of damage control.

Aside from the European issues, Fischer will have a tough time dealing with the country's struggling economy. Coming from an economics background he has already announced drastic cuts to the budget. "This will be my top priority," he said. "It's going to be very difficult – we'll be forced to economise."

Keeping house

Following the political turmoil of recent months, the most pressing task of Fischer's new government will be to restore political stability to the country. A general election is scheduled for October.

"The new government does not really have to achieve anything," says political analyst Jiri Pehe in Prague. "Basically the job of the interim government is to be a good housekeeper. The country's politicians have decided to hand power to the bureaucrats for some time. They'll be little more than puppets in the hands of the two big parties."

There's another issue that makes Fischer rather unpopular in the country. Until the fall of the Iron Curtain he was a member of the Communist Party. Today, he says, he's ashamed of that. But the cabinet that he's formed features a number of former communists in prominent portfolios.