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Czechoslovak Cabinet Installed WithCommunists in Minority;Opposition TapsHavel as Choice For President

Article from:The Washington Post Article date:December 11, 1989Author: Dan Morgan;Stuart Auerbach

A 21-member coalition government, in which opposition dissidentsshare power with the Communist Party that once harassed and jailed them, was sworn into office today as a huge crowd celebratedon the same cobbled streets where Czechoslovakia's peacefulrevolution began 23 days ago.Gustav Husak, one of the last remaining hard-line Communistleaders left in Eastern Europe, resigned as president immediatelyafter swearing in the new government, in which the Communists arein the minority for the first time since February 1948. Tonight, thedemocratic umbrella group Civic Forum and its Slovak counterpart,Public Against Violence, announced that forum leader andplaywright Vaclev Havel was their official candidate for president. As if to underscore the dizzying political changes here, JanCarnogursky, a 45-year-old lawyer who was released from prisononly two weeks ago, was elevated to deputy prime minister andmade head of a new commission in charge of overseeing the oncedreaded state security police.The post of interior minister, which for decades had controlled thesecurity forces and their secret files on citizens, was left vacanttemporarily in a major concession that the Communists agreed toonly after lengthy negotiations that ended early today.The negotiations became possible after protests by millions of Czechoslovaks forced the Communists to give up their constitutionally guaranteed monopoly on power Nov. 29. The talks

ended a political crisis that began a week ago when prime minister Ladislav Adamec, who has since resigned, announced agovernment in which the Communists were named to 16 out of the21 posts. As was announced Saturday, Communists received 10 of the 21cabinet posts in the new government. The new prime minister,Marian Calfa, is a Communist, as are the defense and foreign tradeministers-both key posts in dealing with other East Bloc nations thatbelong to the Soviet-led military and economic alliances.But the Communist forces are weaker than the numbers suggest.Two of the remaining nine Communists were named with the supportof Civic Forum, which was formed three weeks ago and has hadenormous influence on the turn of events here. One of those,Deputy Prime Minister Walter Komarek, has openly lambastedCommunist ideology and the hard-liners who were only recently inpower.Jiri Dienstbier, the new foreign minister, was imprisoned with Havelfrom 1979 to 1982. Dienstbier is a former radio journalist and long-time dissident activist.Today, an estimated 150,000 people poured onto WenceslasSquare in downtown Prague, this time not to demonstrate againstthe government as in recent weeks but to celebrate the change inleadership. A festive, relaxed crowd listened to Czechoslovak folksingers returned from exile, as well as to numerous politicalspeeches.Havel addressed the crowd and, to thunderous applause, said: "Wemust keep our peaceful revolution shining and pure. We must not letanyone throw dirt in the face of our beautiful, peaceful revolution.Truth and love and joy will win. Disbelief and hate will lose."

The crowd responded with chants of "Havel to the Castle," referringto the Hradcany Castle, home of the president of the republic. A new president will be elected by the Federal Assembly, whichunder the Czechoslovak constitution must vote within two weeks of avacancy. In Czechoslovakia, the presidency is an office morepowerful for the influence it can wield than for the constitutionalpower it commands.In an interview with the official CTK news agency today, Alexander Dubcek, leader of the "Prague Spring" reform movement crushed bya Warsaw Pact invasion in 1968, said he would accept thepresidency if nominated by the people, the Associated Pressreported.Havel, a leading Czech playwright who has often expressed hisdesire to pursue that career, said he would accept the presidencyonly until the nation holds its first free elections since 1946. PrimeMinister Calfa said at a press conference today that he expected theelections to be held before July.Communist Party officials said today they prefer an election as soonas possible to keep as much of their battered organization together in the face of a sharp decline in public support.Calfa said that before elections could be held, the Federal Assemblymust pass laws guaranteeing freedom of assembly, a free press andother rights. Under laws still on the books, most of the democraticactivities conducted during the last three weeks are forbidden.Miroslav Pavel, head of Czechoslovak television, is scheduled tomeet Monday with a special commission composed of party and civicorganizations to decide on the amount of broadcast time to beallotted to competing political groups. The commission is aimed atdefusing criticism that Communists still control the state-run radio