Kritiken (1)
A spectacular debate! Especially compared to those previous pathetic farces on commercial television, the debate on public service television sounded exactly like a presidential debate should. Excellent Světlana Witowská, who was not only extremely well-prepared, but was completely impartial and didn’t pull any punches for either of the two candidates and actually moderated the debate (what a difference compared to the desperate Voříšek, who wouldn't even know how to moderate a children's costume party)! Plus, the debate took place in a calm environment where the candidates had enough space for their answers and the audience mostly behaved in a civilized manner (which could not be said of the previous debate on the Prima channel, where there was a herd of cattle instead of an audience who turned the debate into a totally unbearable farce). Both candidates talked respectably and objectively. In fact, something unprecedented happened. For more than 25 years of his political career, Miloš Zeman had been building up a reputation of an eloquent speaker and an unmatched rival. That is, up until today's debate. I expected that even a draw would be a miracle and an excellent result for Jiří Drahoš, but, objectively speaking, he ultimately handled the debate better than Zeman. Drahoš was more active, more accurate, more matter-of-fact and he even got Zeman on the defensive a few times, which was the last thing I’d expected. Zeman seemed really tired towards the end, and it’s a shame that he doesn’t have enough common sense to acknowledge that he isn’t in a good shape for another five-year term, which anyone in their right mind can tell. Thank you, Czech TV, and thank you, Světlana Witowská, for making me believe there can still be decency and objectiveness in Czech politics.
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