Havel and Communists
If the well-meaning attempt by ÈSSD and the Coalition
to form a cabinet fails, the Communists will likely be
next in line. ÈSSD won't take them into the
government, but ÈSSD Chair Vladimír Špidla has said
he'd accept their support for a minority cabinet. ÈSSD
Vice Chair Stanislav Gross told Lidové noviny that his
party can't let itself become a hostage to the
Communists. To get their support, Špidla would likely
have to give them not only leadership posts in
Parliament, but also what Gross referred to as nearly
cabinet-power jobs at state institutions. Would Václav
Havel agree to appoint Špidla as designated premier of
a Communist-supported cabinet, or would he prefer to
let Gross try to form a ÈSSD-ODS coalition? It'd be
quite ironic if Havel left office as the one who allowed
the Communists to return to a stone's throw from real
power.
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