Parties react to dismissal with shock

Coalition and opposition parties reacted with surprise to the sudden dismissal of Justice Minister Pospíšil, who is often rated one of the most popular politicians in the country. Leading members of the coalition TOP 09 party said they had been taken aback by the decision, with some praising his successful work in the Justice Ministry, but concurring that the dismissal of a minister is wholly the decision of the prime minister. The opposition Social Democrats demanded to know the ‘real’ reasons for the minister’s dismissal, with some speculating that it was based on Mr Pospíšil’s own sacking of the Prague State Prosecutor and the present need to fill that position. TOP 09 leader Karel Schwarzenberg called the sacking unjust and said that Pospíšil had apparently been eliminated because he was a danger to someone.