Brush Up Your English (Slovníček)
Czech centre-right prime minister Mirek Topolanek has handed in his cabinet's resignation following last week's failure to win a confidence vote in parliament. Speaking to journalists after his government formally stepped down on Wednesday (11 October), the leader of the Czech conservative civic democrats party (ODS) suggested the best way out of the months' long political deadlock would be early elections. "That is a solution which should be acceptable to everybody," he noted, according to CTK agency.
prime minister – premiér to hand in – předat following –následně po failure – nezdar, prohra confidence vote –hlasování o důvěře to step down – odstoupit civic – občanský best way out of – nejlepší řešení, východisko z deadlock –slepá ulička early election – předčasné volby solution – řešení acceptable – přijatelný to note – poznamenat according to – podle.
But it is now up to the country's president, Vaclav Klaus, to make the next move and either appoint a cabinet of technocrats to rule until the early elections or pass the ruling baton to a minority government led by the social democrats, the main opposition party. Mr Klaus is expected to announce his decision after the forthcoming elections to the Senate - the upper house of the Czech legislature - scheduled for late October.
it is up to – je to na kom/čem either– buď to appoint –jmenovat cabinet of technocrats – úřednická vláda to rule – vládnout to pass – předat, poslat dál baton – taktovka minority – menšina, menšinový to lead – vest main – hlavní party – politická strana to expect – očekávat to announce – ohlásit forthcoming – nadcházející upper house – horní komora legislature – zákonodárná moc to schedule – plánovat.
The ODS won the elections in early June but failed to get a sufficient majority using other right-leaning parties to form a ruling coalition that would get through parliament. The vote produced an exact division between the right and left-leaning parties, with a hundred deputies on both sides, and the stalemate it created has sparked calls for a change in the country's election law. Mr Klaus complained on Wednesday that he had seen four government resignations since becoming president in 2003. "That is quite a high number and it says something about our country. It says something about our political situation, about the division of our political forces," he said.
to win – vyhrát (nepr.slov: win, won, won) elections – volby to fail – prohrát, neuspět sufficient – dostatečný right leaning – pravicový to form – sestavit ruling – vládnoucí get through – projít vote – volby exact – přesný party – politická strana deputy – zástupce both – oba stalemate – slepá ulička, šach mat to spark – zažehnout election law – volební zákon to complain – stěžovat si to become – stát se quite – docela division – rozdělení force – síla.
Outgoing prime minister Topolanek announced his party would try to push through a proposal to reduce the number of parliamentary seats from 200 to 199, in order to prevent clear-cut splits in the House leading to similar stalemates.
According to the latest opinion poll, published by Median agency on Tuesday (10 October), the conservative ODS has come out slightly strengthened after the political turmoil and is leading with 39.1 percent, followed by the social democrats with 29.4 percent.
outgoing – odcházející, odstupující to announce – ohlásit party – politická strana to push through – prosadit proposal – návrh to reduce – snížit seat – křeslo in order to – za účelem split – rozdělení to lead to – vést k similar – podobný according to – podle latest – poslední opinion poll – průzkum veřejného mínění to come out – vyjít to strengthen – posílit turmoil – poprask.
Připravuje Markéta Frýbová