Final Word from Monday, June 16, 2003
After the EU referendum ended successfully on Sat., it took President Václav Klaus more than 24 hours to make a personal public statement. In the meantime, all the other major politicians were popping corks, singing and giving interviews. Viliam Buchert of MF Dnes wrote today that keeping quiet was the single biggest mistake Klaus has made as president. He gave the impression of pouting about an outcome that didn't suit him, Buchert said. When Klaus returns next week from a trip to the U.S. (where he won't be meeting with George W. Bush), he might find that his political standing has perceptively changed. His popularity will likely fall, as could his influence within ODS, where he's been pulling strings with Vlastimil Tlustý and Ivan Langer. Klaus can't be counted out, but the first doubts about whether he'll be a two-term president might begin surfacing.