Will Soukup be Babiš's offensive blocker?
The corona crisis hasn't changed the liberal-illiberal divide in Czech politics. The main liberal parties had between 37.8% and 47% in the polls in Feb. and didn't budge in June. This gives illiberal ANO, SPD, KSČM and ČSSD a slim lead in parliamentary elections. However, there's no obvious contender on the illiberal side who could win a majority in a presidential race against a liberal candidate. Illiberals tend to inspire more "anybody but..." negative votes. If Andrej Babiš decided to run for president, he would only stand a chance in the second round if the other candidate turned off even more people than he did. Keep this in mind as you ponder why Jaromír Soukup of TV Barrandov has suddenly become one of Babiš's biggest detractors. Hardly a day now passes without Soukup saying on-air that the two of them really dislike each other. Is it real mutual hate, or is Soukup being set up to run interference for Babiš against the liberals in the first round of the presidential election?
Glossary of difficult words
offensive blocker - a player in American football who obstructs another player's path with his body in order to prevent defensive players from tackling the quarterback or ball carrier;to budge - to make or cause to make the slightest movement;
slim - slender; thin;
to turn (someone) off - to cause disgust or disinterest;
to ponder - to think about something carefully;
detractor - a person who criticizes someone or something;
to run interference for - to intervene on someone's behalf.