Final Word from Monday, April 8, 2024
STAN Chair Vít Rakušan said at his party's congress in Olomouc on Sat. that dangerous populists are trying to get into power in the country and that it is STAN's duty to prevent them from doing so. We don't live in a normal time when it is normal for political parties with different agendas to alternate in power, he said. He amplified on this in an interview with Právo, telling the newspaper that, "In the event of a victory by ANO, there might not be a standard change. A change when governments alternate, as is the case in democratic countries, but there could be a change in the entire political environment." When he says that STAN can't allow this to happen, it can be understood in two different ways. First, that STAN and its democratic partners must win the elections. Fair enough. Or second, that if ANO wins, STAN must not allow it to take power. That would be strong medicine coming from the interior minister, who has control of the police and is one of the guardians of the Constitution. It's a sort-of reverse Donald Trump situation. Rakušan should now vow publicly that if ANO wins, he'll allow a smooth handover of power. [ Czech Republic transition parliamentary Andrej Babiš ]
Glossary of difficult words
to be in someone's shoes - to be in the situation, usually a bad or difficult situation, that another person is in;
to alternate - do or perform in turn repeatedly;
to amplify - to enlarge upon or add detail to (a story or statement);
strong medicine - a severe and unpleasant solution to a problem.