Chief Justice Klaus
A hot topic on the Prague cocktail circuit is what Václav Klaus will do in 2013. Some people think he still hopes to change the Constitution so he can run for a third term. This could explain his support for the 118-seat Nečas government and his Communist-friendly pardon for Ludmila Brožová-Polednová. A fallback, others say, could be to take over as ODS chair and seek the premiership again. A few say his mind might not last another two years anyway. (Remember, a group of doctors wanted him declared insane.) One brow-raising possibility is that he'd name himself chief justice of the Constitutional Court. Aside from the timing issue (Pavel Rychetský's term expires in mid-2013), there is the nuisance of having to have a law degree and 10 years' legal experience. An honorary degree might fulfill the former, but the latter would be hard to Putinize. Sometimes that damn Constitution simply refuses to cooperate!
Glossary of difficult words
cocktail circuit - a series of receptions;Ludmila Brožová-Polednová - found guilty for her role as prosecutor in the death sentence imposed on Milada Horáková and pardoned late last year by Klaus;
fallback - an alternative plan that can be used in an emergency;
mind - the state of normal mental functioning in a person;
brow-raising - giving rise to doubt or disapproval;
nuisance - a person, thing or circumstance causing inconvenience or annoyance;
to Putinize - (in this context) to adjust something to one’s needs for political expedience.