The Fab Blair Boys; Youth Movement: In Central Europe, the rise of center-left politicians who follow Tony Blair may be a harbinger of leaders to come.

Byline: William Underhill (With Katka Krosnar in Prague)

Stanislav Gross is a political prodigy. At 35, the former railway engineer ranks as Europe's youngest prime minister. Even before taking charge of the Czech Republic's ruling Social Democratic Party this summer--just after his country enrolled in the EU--he'd served 12 years as an M.P. But prodigies are getting to be the rule in Central Europe these days. Look south to Hungary, another new EU member. Last summer the Socialists who head the governing coalition also chose a new leader, Ferenc Gyurcsany, 43, a tycoon who made his fortune in the 1990s and entered mainstream politics only three years ago.

Some prodigious talent is badly needed. Voters tired of the painful post-communist era are impatient for payback. Sure, the region's economies are growing at an impressive pace, but divisions between haves and have-nots have deepened. Pessimism is commonplace, especially among the old and outside the prospering capital cities. One recent poll showed that a bare 9 percent of Czechs rated their country's economic health as good. "There is a general disgruntlement at the fact that there has been no change for the better," says Laszlo Borhi of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

One response to disenchantment lies in a change of political style. What unites Gyurcsany and Gross is an admiration for Tony Blair, the ideology-lite British prime minister. And their emergence could be the harbinger of charisma-rich politics--a Blair specialty--in the region. Like Blair, both need to retain the loyalty of supporters on the left while pushing ahead with change. Both preach free-market reform while stressing the need for social cohesion at a time when a skeptical public has often come to associate reform with hardship. "Our main task is regaining the public's trust in government," says Gross.

Both men score high for voter appeal. Gross is an easygoing soccer fanatic who, despite his position, still chooses to live with his young family in a modest Prague housing development. He gained his law degree through night school during his early years as an M.P. His approval ratings were still close to 50 percent after four months in office, which is impressive by regional standards. "Gross is not a man of ideas; he has no vision or philosophy at all," says political analyst Jiri Pehe. "But he is a good negotiator and communicator."

For his part, Gyurcsany has set himself apart from his dour predecessor through a mix of humor, flair and sheer brainpower. Says Borhi: "He's young, looks dynamic and knows how to pick popular issues and dramatize them to the public." Audiences particularly enjoy the down-to-earth imagery that peppers his speeches.

The two could trade notes on the frustrations of ...