Final Word from Wednesday, September 18, 2002
The five-day political crisis ended yesterday after US-DEU vowed to support key cabinet proposals if they're debated in advance. This was a victory not only for Ivan Pilip, but also for Hana Marvanová. She had been saying all along that her main objection to the tax package was the way Premier Vladimír Špidla was trying to ram it through Parliament. Špidla will come away from the crisis in a weaker position, which could perhaps force a change in the government's emphasis. Marvanová told the BBC yesterday that the government won confirmation with a pro-EU platform, yet Špidla has used the cabinet for pushing his socialist ideas. She said that if the cabinet concentrates primarily on EU accession, fighting corruption and supporting education, it will be a successful government. But if it tries to push through socialist ideas, she'll continue to butt heads with it, and another crisis will be unavoidable.