Zdeněk Tůma
Check out analysis of the behind the scenes maneuverings to gain control of Prague City Hall including comments from political analysts Jiři Pehe and Bohumil Doležal in today’s print Prague Post, and a report on how the Civic Democrats (ODS) and Social Democrats (ČSSD) may look to form a “grand coalition” between themselves and bypass TOP 09, the city’s election winner… But after we went to press there were some more developments…
TOP 09 — who won the Oct. 15-16 vote with 30.26 percent of the vote — has offered a coalition deal to the ODS and gave them a one-week deadline to accept. TOP 09 mayoral candidate Zdeněk Tůma has offered five seats on the City Council to the ODS with TOP 09 retaining six, including the mayor post.
The ODS election leader Bohuslav Svoboda has called the offer “acceptable” and said it does correspond to the election results, but much speculation in recent days has focused on whether Svoboda — not a member of the ODS but its candidate for mayor — will make the decision or whether more traditional party bosses will.
Coalition negotiations are now in their second week. Prague has been the traditional stronghold of the ODS, but the party lost the city in both May’s general election and in municipal voting Oct. 15-16. In both votes, TOP09, also a center-right party, won.
A meeting between TOP 09 and ODS leaders is slated for early next week. Parallel negotiations between the ODS and ČSSD continue.
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