What to do with Bem

Delegates to ODS's weekend congress have a difficult decision to make. Reelecting Mirek Topolánek as chairman will be a no- brainer, and approving his plan for collaborating with ČSSD will also likely go smoothly, but the party must decide what to do with Pavel Bém. He wants to become Topolánek's right-hand man, a post now filled by the ultra-loyal Petr Nečas. As a regular ODS vice chairman and Prague mayor, Bém has repeatedly used his media access to take jabs at Topolánek. In almost any Bém interview, there are remarks that undermine the boss's leadership. In the same breath, Bém stresses how much he admires Václav Klaus and how often they speak. It would be suicide for ODS's delegates to elect Bém as Topolánek's first vice chair, but should he be reelected to a regular vice chairmanship? It depends on whether ODS is ready for a clean break from the Klaus past. [Czech Republic grand coalition opposition agreement conference]