Final Word from Monday, May 14, 2018
It's an easy calculation, and the Communists have done it: For a coalition government of ANO+ČSSD to secure a confidence vote, all members of KSČM must at least "tolerate" it by walking out of the chamber. If even one of ANO's or ČSSD's MPs is not present for the roll-call vote, the coalition will need the active support of the Communists. Add to this the fact that Ondřej Veselý of ČSSD has threatened to resign from Parliament if his party decides in its referendum to enter such a coalition, and the value of a raised Communist hand potentially skyrockets. (There's no guarantee that Veselý's replacement would be sworn in before the confidence vote was taken.) The Communists have ANO and ČSSD in a vise and are starting to tighten it by making loud demands about cabinet ministers, foreign military missions and taxes on the rich. Something tells us the Communists will not be as quick to relent as ČSSD was when Andrej Babiš dismisses their demands out of hand. [Czech Republic Vojtěch chairman]
Glossary of difficult words
in the driver's seat - in control;
roll-call vote - a vote in which each lawmaker or person votes Yes or No as his or her name is called, so that the names of those voting on each side may be recorded;
to skyrocket - (of a price, rate, or amount) to increase very steeply or rapidly;
vise - a metal tool with movable jaws which are used to hold an object firmly in place while work is done on it, typically attached to a workbench;
to relent - to abandon or soften a severe or harsh attitude, esp. by finally yielding to a request;
out of hand - without taking time to think.