Czech president appears drunk at state ceremony (VIDEO)
Czech new-elected President Milos Zeman (C) speaks during a press conference on January 26, 2013 in Prague, after the result of the second round of the Presidential elections. Czechs chose outspoken veteran leftist Milos Zeman, an ex-premier, as their new president in the runoff of the EU republic’s first direct election.
Czech President Milos Zeman, elected with great fanfare several months ago in the country's first popular vote, has reportedly fallen low in public opinion thanks to a video of him bumbling through a state ceremony in an inebriated-looking way.
But before you scroll down to watch the video, some context: Czechs drink. A lot. The nation recently won second place for alcohol consumption worldwide. So the locals can presumably sniff out a drunk, and indeed, a Czech photographer who said he was at the ceremony with Zeman promptly put up some photos entitled: “People believe the Czech President was drunk at the official ceremony," according to Max Fisher of The Washington Post.
The president's office has turned up its nose at the allegations, however, blaming the whole affair on a nasty case of virosis. A case of what? Good question, because according to Merriam-Webster, virosis means an "infection with or disease caused by a virus," in which case a hangover most pointedly does not qualify.
The facts are these: According to the widely-read daily Lidové Noviny, Zeman fell over a cable and nearly tumbled down some stairs during a state ceremony at the illustrious Prague Castle on Thursday.
Watch it here:
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