Final Word from Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Ex-Premier Miloš Zeman is back on the scene after having correctly predicted that ČSSD would lose its shirt in the EU elections. ČSSD won just two of the 24 seats, and Zeman now wants the "traitors" who caused the defeat by going against ČSSD's campaign promises (Vladimír Špidla and Stanislav Gross) to be ousted. Zeman's real goal, Alexandr Mitrofanov of Právo said on Czech Radio, is to punish those in ČSSD who cost him the presidency last year. Zeman's intention was never in and of itself to elevate ČSSD, Mitrofanov said. Instead, he wanted to use the party to catapult himself into the premiership, and he is now perhaps interested in the presidency again. Špidla complained after the EU elections that Zeman and his henchmen had intentionally damaged ČSSD. This is undoubtedly true, Mitrofanov said, and the poor EU election results were therefore a victory for Zeman. European Parliament