Final Word from Thursday, February 27, 2003
Most voters and businesses don't really care whether it's Pavel Bém, Jan Kasl or someone else who's in control at Prague city hall, as long as the mayor makes things happen. If Bém does his job well as the sitting mayor, he could potentially push ex-Mayor Kasl off the radar screen of voters and businesses once and for all. Kasl needs to regain the spotlight, or his new European Democratic party will have trouble surviving. Kasl seems to be aware of this and will launch a counterattack today. He plans to make a concrete proposal to the city assembly for improving transparency, and he says it'll go far beyond Bém's recently established anti-corruption commission. Kasl is betting his future on his anti-corruption platform. The best way for Bém to neutralize Kasl, and to please voters and businesses, is to prove that he, too, is serious about doing what is needed.