Klaus won't go away

ODS Chair Václav Klaus isn't giving up. He decided to challenge Lubomír Zaorálek of ČSSD today for the chairmanship of Parliament. Zaorálek is the official candidate of the soon-to-be-appointed ČSSD-Coalition cabinet, and a victory by Klaus could bring on a government crisis even before it takes office. James de Candole of CEC Government Relations told the American Chamber of Commerce yesterday that ODS will use confidence votes whenever possible to show the weakness of the ČSSD-led cabinet. Klaus' reelection to the post in Parliament can't be ruled out. Ex-ODS Vice Chair Miroslav Macek said recently that ČSSD and KDU-ČSL could actually benefit from having Klaus in the job, in a Machiavellian kind of way. However, he said ODS would lose in the long run because prolonging Klaus' career would hinder its internal reform.