Final Word from Thursday, September 12, 2013
In his barrage of interviews prior to the confidence vote in Parliament, ČSSD Chair Bohuslav Sobotka stated repeatedly that the Czech Constitution should be changed to redefine the powers of the directly elected president, the cabinet and Parliament. ČSSD's leadership voted unanimously on Aug. 6 to have Sobotka enter talks with the other political parties about just such constitutional changes. First Vice Chair Michal Hašek was among those voting, although he had said previously that he was against changing the Constitution in reaction to Miloš Zeman's election as president. Vice Chair Helena Langšádlová of TOP 09 added a new twist to this yesterday, when she told MFD that she fears that Zeman could take control of the entire Left and create a bloc that proposes constitutional changes (that presumably benefit Zeman). Could this perhaps explain Hašek's about-face on the issue of amending the Constitution? [Czech Republic]
Glossary of difficult words
barrage - a concentrated outpouring, as of questions or blows; a concentrated artillery bombardment over a wide area;
twist - an unexpected development of events;
bloc (not block) - a combination of countries, parties or groups sharing a common purpose;
about-face - a complete change of opinion or policy.