Kasl to the Castle?

The announced resignation yesterday of Jan Kasl as Prague mayor and as a member of ODS was perhaps inevitable given the recent events at Prague city hall, but it will lead nowhere unless Kasl takes advantage of the reputation and respect he has won. He has several options. He can run again for city hall, either as an independent or as a member of another party. He can run for one of the available Prague Senate seats. Or he can wait for direct presidential elections and seek the nation's top job. Václav Klaus called Kasl a coward for not serving out his full term. Klaus' remark was unusually harsh and revealed to what extent he considers Kasl a direct political threat. Kasl is still somewhat politically inexperienced, but with the right guidance and support he could become only the third politician in 10 years (behind Havel and Miloš Zeman) to be a match for Klaus.