Final Word from Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Political observers were shaking their heads in disbelief when ČSSD announced last week that it would call a no-confidence vote for tomorrow. Why would Jiří Paroubek risk such a premature vote, was the general feeling, given his party's low chance of success? Armed with Kč 10m worth of public-opinion surveying ordered by the spinsters at PSB, though, Paroubek knew more than mere mortals. He felt certain that ČSSD would romp in the elections, and the results bore this out. Even if he doesn't win tomorrow's no-confidence vote, he might at least convince enough coalition MPs to abstain or skip the vote so that it becomes clear that Mirek Topolánek doesn't enjoy the support of Parliament. This would put significant pressure on Topolánek to call his own confidence vote. If he refused, which is likely, he'd go into the ODS congress in early Dec. as a lame-duck party chairman and prime minister.[Czech Republic spin doctors Penn, Schoen & Berland]
Glossary of difficult words
lame duck - an official in the final period of office, after the election of a successor (in this case, an unsuccessful politician before the election of a successor);
no-confidence vote - requires 101 of 200 votes (a confidence vote requires only a majority of those present);
spinster - someone who spins, a spin doctor;
PSB - Penn, Schoen & Berland, a market-research and consulting firm;
mere mortal - human being (in a joking sense, in this case);
to romp - to win easily;
to bear something out - to support or confirm something;
to abstain - to formally decline to vote for or against.