Final Word from Tuesday, June 25, 2002
If the well-meaning attempt by ČSSD and the Coalition to form a cabinet fails, the Communists will likely be next in line. ČSSD won't take them into the government, but ČSSD Chair Vladimír Špidla has said he'd accept their support for a minority cabinet. ČSSD Vice Chair Stanislav Gross told Lidové noviny that his party can't let itself become a hostage to the Communists. To get their support, Špidla would likely have to give them not only leadership posts in Parliament, but also what Gross referred to as nearly cabinet-power jobs at state institutions. Would Václav Havel agree to appoint Špidla as designated premier of a Communist-supported cabinet, or would he prefer to let Gross try to form a ČSSD-ODS coalition? It'd be quite ironic if Havel left office as the one who allowed the Communists to return to a stone's throw from real power.