Final Word from Thursday, January 20, 2011
A hot topic on the Prague cocktail circuit is what Václav Klaus will do in 2013. Some people think he still hopes to change the Constitution so he can run for a third term. This could explain his support for the 118-seat Nečas government and his Communist-friendly pardon for Ludmila Brožová-Polednová. A fallback, others say, could be to take over as ODS chair and seek the premiership again. A few say his mind might not last another two years anyway. (Remember, a group of doctors wanted him declared insane.) One brow-raising possibility is that he'd name himself chief justice of the Constitutional Court. Aside from the timing issue (Pavel Rychetský's term expires in mid-2013), there is the nuisance of having to have a law degree and 10 years' legal experience. An honorary degree might fulfill the former, but the latter would be hard to Putinize. Sometimes that damn Constitution simply refuses to cooperate![Czech Republic Milada Horáková Petr]
Glossary of difficult words
cocktail circuit - a series of receptions;
Ludmila Brožová-Polednová - found guilty for her role as prosecutor in the death sentence imposed on Milada Horáková and pardoned late last year by Klaus;
fallback - an alternative plan that can be used in an emergency;
mind - the state of normal mental functioning in a person;
brow-raising - giving rise to doubt or disapproval;
nuisance - a person, thing or circumstance causing inconvenience or annoyance;
to Putinize - (in this context) to adjust something to one’s needs for political expedience.