Final Word from Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Miloš Zeman is entering a do-or-die period. The next president might very well be determined during negotiations after the June elections, and Zeman is stepping up his campaign. He's giving interviews, appearing in public next Tues., and publishing a new book. Alexandr Mitrofanov of Právo said ČSSD stands before Zeman like a rabbit hypnotized by a boa constrictor. This earned Mitrofanov the kind of insult from Zeman that he usually reserves for right-wing "scum," not a journalist from left-wing Právo. Mitrofanov suffers from serious complexes, Zeman said in LN. Jiří Hanák of Právo came to Mitrofanov's defense today and said it's high time to leave Zeman once and for all to his bliss in the highlands. This raises a question. Can Zeman succeed at a comeback if he doesn't have the endorsement of Právo? Once Stanislav Gross lost the backing of that paper, it was only a short time before he was jobless and his wife started dating her bodyguard. [Czech Republic Social Democrats presidential parliamentary elections Lidové noviny]