Final Word from Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Jiří Paroubek insists that voters aren't bothered by his style, and he has the numbers to back it up. STEM found that he has a 58% rating, to 41% for Mirek Topolánek. Paroubek is a chronic name-dropper (Schröder, Blair, Chirac, etc.) and even takes credit for ridding Wenceslas Square of prostitutes, but his arrogance is an everyman boast, complete with potbelly and a hint of inferiority complex. This is endearing to voters. ODS, in contrast, is unapologetic in its arrogance. Topolánek bought an Kč 8m apartment in a near-election year, Gov. Petr Bendl received a Porsche 911 from his rich wife, MP Ivan Langer took an Kč 83,000/month part-time job in a law firm, and ex-MP Vladimír Doležal was rewarded with a Kč 300,000/month job at ČKA when voters felt he should have gone to jail. Modesty isn't a strong point of either party, but ČSSD is managing its arrogance better. [Czech Republic Gerhard Schröder Tony Blair Jacques Chirac Česká konsolidační agentura governor car arrogant approval rating]