Vaclav Klaus, president for life

If politicians fail to agree on an implementation law for direct presidential elections - which is a distinct possibility in this politically fraught atmosphere - there's only one thing that seems crystal clear: Václav Klaus will finish as president in March 2013. The chances of his term being extended seem very small. Less clear is how his successor would be chosen. Some people are already muttering that the failure to agree on an implementation law will lead to the annulment of direct elections and to a return to the old indirect method. Another possibility is that direct elections will "merely" be postponed indefinitely, leaving the president's powers to be divvied up as called for under the Constitution. In this case, Klaus would of course no longer officially be the president, but he might indeed be able to use his new institute to fill the vacuum and to continue to serve indefinitely as the nation's highest "moral authority."