After the elections in the Czech Republic, the situation should actually be clear: the opposition is the clear winner and has a majority in parliament, so it should also be responsible for the future government.
But whether this will happen is open, because the populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš does not want to let go of power and President Miloš Zeman knows on his side.
Formally, Zeman has the right to entrust Babiš with forming a government and to give him all the time in the world.
Zeman has demonstrated more than once that he is ready for such an approach.
So it is likely that, despite their clear vote, the Czechs will experience a period of political paralysis in the coming months: with a parliamentary majority that is not allowed to govern, a prime minister who must fear losing power because of his dubious business (and the additional free time will possibly be used to cover up traces), and a president who is so seriously ill that it is unclear how capable he is in reality.
The Czech case shows how important not only the written rules are for a functioning democracy, but also the unwritten ones, which can basically all be reduced to one word: respect - for political opponents, the will of the electorate, the institutions .