KDU on the way out

Miroslav Kalousek told Právo that as long as KDU-ČSL is in the cabinet, it won't allow any of the extremism that is emanating from ODS or the Communists. As ČSSD and the Communists work closer together, though, his promise seems more and more empty. The latest examples of ČSSD-KSČM coziness are VZP, the e-tolls and the lustration law. If Premier Jiří Paroubek decides to go for broke and run KDU out of the cabinet before the elections, the e-tolls seem the most-likely catalyst. By asking the antitrust office to rule on the tender, Paroubek is fueling suspicions of corruption, and Kalousek hasn't even had to explain the role of his buddy Richard Háva yet. If KDU loses the deal, it will have trouble staying in the coalition. And Paroubek can go into the elections with a minority cabinet that leaves no doubt about what voters should expect after the ballots are counted in June 2006.