ČT's message to ČSSD
How to make sense of the results of the four opinion polls that were dropped on Czechs as they depart for their summer hideaways? The common thread running through the surveys is that ANO has declined somewhat under the weight of the Letná protest and the draft EU audit but that Andrej Babiš's party still enjoys a jump of between 7 percentage points (Kantar CZ) and 16.9 points (STEM) over its nearest rivals, the Pirates and ODS. More telling is the new breakdown of the "illiberal" and "liberal" parties. Here, ANO, KSČM and SPD enjoy a margin over their rivals of between 7.5 points (CVVM and Median) and 14.0 points (STEM) if all "democratic" parties that make it into Parliament are counted, except for ČSSD, which remains on the fence. If ČSSD is added to the "democratic" parties, the edge of the "illiberal" parties drops to between 7.6 (STEM) and 0 points (CVVM and Median). The outlier is Kantar CZ, which works for Czech TV. According to its poll, the "liberal" parties have already overtaken their "illiberal" rivals by 42.5% to 39.5%, as long as ČSSD, with its 6.5%, starts shunning ANO.
Glossary of difficult words
hideaway - a place used for hiding in or as a retreat from other people;
common thread - a theme or characteristic found in various stories or situations;
breakdown - an explanatory analysis, esp. of statistics;
to sit/be on the fence - to avoid making a decision or choice;
edge - an advantage over others;
outlier - a person or thing differing from all other members of a particular group or set;
to shun - persistently to avoid, ignore or reject (someone or something) through antipathy or caution.