Mladá Fronta DNES, June 8, 2009.

Topolánek pulls off election victory

Published on 8 June 2009
Mladá Fronta DNES, June 8, 2009.

Photos of former Czech Prime minister Mirek Topolánek naked at a garden party organized by Silvio Berlusconi, published on the eve of European elections, have failed to change either the outcome of the vote or Topolánek’s explanation: “It’s me, but the picture has been doctored.” Alluding to the victory of the right, Mladá Fronta DNES reports that “the political map of the Czech Republic has changed from orange to blue.” The ODS party has won 31% of the vote, out-distancing social-democratic rivals led by Jiri Paroubek by 9%. The European vote is considered as a warm-up for general elections to be held next October. The daily reports, however, only 28% of Czechs cast their ballots last weekend. Another Czech paper,Lidové Noviny, leads with the headline “22 Euromillionaires” in reference to the relatively high salaries enjoyed by MEPs who are paid “almost as much as the Prime Minister.”

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