Déjà vu for Miroslava Němcová

Twenty years ago next month, on Aug. 19, 1998, the government of Miloš Zeman won a confidence vote thanks to its "opposition agreement" with ODS. Mathematically, there was no way to block the confidence vote once ODS decided to walk out of the chamber. There were only five parties in Parliament, and ČSSD and ODS had a comfortable majority. Optically, the vote of 73-39 nevertheless looked much stronger than 73-63 would have if the 24 Communist MPs hadn't decided to tolerate the government by abstaining. Before the confidence vote, ČSSD Chair Miloš Zeman had consulted with KSČM Chair Miroslav Grebeníček, according to Erik Tabery in "Vládneme, nerušit." The Communists later helped pass the 1999 budget. Communist MP Jiří Dolejš was also appointed to the sup. board of První městská banka, and he got to help sell it to PPF. MP Miroslava Němcová of ODS is appalled that there is now a "secret power-political pact" between ANO and KSČM. She shouldn't really be surprised: It's basically the same model that she herself supported as an MP when Zeman was in Babiš's shoes 20 years ago.