In a weekend interview, the deputy finance minister Tomas Potmesil did not rule out a direct sale of the privatized power sector companies (64% of CEZ + stakes in six regional distributors), but said that he “cannot imagine” a sale without a tender. He would like to see CEZ sold by the end of this government’s term (the next election is scheduled for June 2002), he considers this timing “ambitious but realistic”. The possibility of a direct sale would not please the market, but the deputy minister’s statements are so vague that they are unlikely to have much impact on the stock.
(Ondřej Daťka)