Red money

The average and median age of members of the Communist Party is about 70. When young voters are attracted to the party, it's often because of its image of being untainted by capitalist corruption. The Communists haven't been involved in any of the major scandals. However, their willingness to take charge of the Unipetrol commission and to rubber-stamp ČSSD's claim that there was no corruption in the privatization suggests a shift in strategy. When there is so much money floating about, why shouldn't the Communists get a bigger share? Valtr Komárek, an adviser to Jiří Paroubek, felt the need to deny in MFD that ČSSD might enter into any sort of post-election agreement with the Communists that institutionalizes their cooperation. If, in the end, the two parties do conclude just such an accord, the overriding question might be whether it is more political or commercial. [Czech Republic KSČM Premier prime minister MF Dnes]