Final Word from Wednesday, July 2, 2014
It's not a common word, but a pentarchy is a government of five rulers, or a governing body of five. Just as the Five Families were getting comfortable in their position as the pentarchy in the country, in butted Andrej Babiš, claiming a sixth seat at the table. An uninvited guest is worse than a Tatar, as the Russians say. Even better for Babiš than squeezing an extra chair around the table and creating a hexarchy would be to squeeze out one or two of the Five. His attacks so far have been aimed mainly at J&T (Křetínský/Tkáč/Roman). He upped the ante on Sun. on OVM, asking why Miroslav Kalousek, as finance minister, allowed Penta to divert Kč 4bn from Prague Airport for overpriced land supposedly needed for a runway. If this continues, Penta can pretty much kiss good-bye the idea of unloading Vodochody Airport to Prague Airport for another exorbitant price. Babiš is starting to disrupt pentarchical affairs in a major way. [Czech Republic six PPF KKCG BXR Daniel Patrik Martin]
Glossary of difficult words
Five Families - our term for PPF, Penta, KKCG, J&T and BXR;
to butt in - to take part in something or to enter somewhere without being invited or expected;
to up the ante - to increase what is at stake or under discussion, esp. in a conflit or dispute;
to kiss something good-bye - to accept the certain loss of something;
to unload (an asset) - to get rid of something that is unwanted;
exorbitant - (of a price or amount charged) unreasonably high.