The Departed

When Jana Hybášková of SNK-ED accused people close to Minister Vlastimil Tlustý of ODS of asking for a bribe for releasing matching election funds, most of the Czech media cast doubt on her claim and said she gave no proof. When ex-Deputy Development Minister Věra Jourová linked Jiří Paroubek of ČSSD to the Zdeněk Doležel EU-funding fraud, most of the media neglected to say she gave no proof. Such is the state of affairs as Czechs go to the polls today. The media are overwhelmingly biased against ČSSD, and esp. Paroubek. If this translates into a ČSSD electoral disaster, Paroubek's position as ČSSD chair could become untenable. Právo said that Jack Nicholson could play Paroubek in the movie version. Who, then, would be the ČSSD mole who moves after the elections to bring down the evil boss? Our money is on long-time Zeman sycophant Zdeněk Škromach. [Czech Republic Jiří Pospíšil European Union Finance Justice Minister Miloš Zeman Martin Scorsese]