The other Sobotka

Přemysl Sobotka of ODS was elected president of the Senate yesterday, succeeding Petr Pithart, who served six years in the CR's No. 2 political post. Pithart's tenure was interrupted for two years by Libuše Benešová of ODS, who was a failure in the position, because she wasn't able to rise above petty party politics. Sobotka, too, has shown initial inclinations in this direction. Pithart rarely succumbed to this and did a good job of representing the CR outwardly. Domestically, he spoke about a constitutional amendment for making it more difficult for the lower house to override a Senate veto (a mere 101 of 200 votes is needed), but he made no progress. Without this, the Senate will continue to be seen as another layer of bureaucracy that serves only to test the ruling coalition's unity from time to time. Sobotka can make a name for himself by setting out to change this. [chairman Czech Republic Parliament]