Final Word from Wednesday, January 6, 2016

There's no smoking gun in the hacked emails of Bohuslav Sobotka, but the documents released yesterday give the image of a careless politician whose abilities are ultimately outstripped by his ambition. For the first time the public has the opportunity to compare the well-managed public image with the behind-the-scenes reality. No longer should there be any doubt about the influence of lawyer Radek Pokorný over Sobotka or of the role in Sobotka's political career played by Bison & Rose PR agency. The hackers might have been extremists opposed to Sobotka's refugee policy, but the emails play directly into the hands of Andrej Babiš. This isn't another Nagyová scandal, but it has the potential to be ČSSD's Tuscany. As with Mirek Topolánek and Martin Roman then, the number of people covering Sobotka's back will now drop precipitously. Especially on the part of those whose special relationships to Sobotka have now been exposed. [Czech Republic ČSSD public relations Jana Nečasová]