The Pithart factor
The double-agent, anti-hero in Graham Green's novel
The Human Factor said it's better to tell the truth when
possible, because the truth is easier to remember. Of all
the presidential candidates, Petr Pithart is the only one
who gives the impression of being honest out of
principle. For Pithart the politician, this "character flaw"
might be his undoing. He's the only candidate with any
significant chance of winning the first set of elections in
Parliament starting tomorrow, but to do so, he'll need
crossover votes from past supporters of Milo Zeman or
Václav Klaus, not to mention Jaroslav Bure. Pithart is a
run-on-the-mill candidate, says Martin Fendrych of
Tŭden, but he also has a habit of telling the truth. Bank
privatization, he told TV Prima, was delayed so the
banks could make sweetheart loans to favored
industrialists. This might be more truth than some MPs
want to hear.
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