Final Word from Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Surprisingly, Miroslav Macek of ODS and Jiří Hanák of Právo agree that Stanislav Gross should resign as premier. This might indeed be the best thing for ODS, KDU-ČSL and Czech "political culture," but not for ČSSD. Sooner than anyone else, Gross and his team apparently realized that Václav Klaus wants to bury ČSSD and allow the Communists to take its place on the Left. Vacating the premier's seat now and giving Klaus the chance to appoint someone from another party as interim PM would be ČSSD's death blow. ČSSD would lose all its leverage and most of its remaining voters. ČSSD's best strategy is to fight for survival like an endangered species. This means confirming Gross as party chair, allowing KDU to leave the cabinet if necessary, taking credit for the the CR's economic successes, and giving Klaus as little room as possible to interfere. [Czech Republic prime minister president KSČM Communist Party resignation]