ČSSD elects new head

Brno, March 19 (CTK) - In the next two years the Czech senior opposition Social Democratic Party (CSSD) will be led by Bohuslav Sobotka as chairman and Michal Hasek as first deputy chairman, the party national congress in Brno decided on March 18-19.

Sobotka narrowly defeated Hasek in the battle for chairmanship in the second round of the election. They both say they will be cooperating and no rift in the party is imminent.

The congress criticised the pension reform planned by the centre-right government and rejected the planned VAT unification. The CSSD said it seeks development of welfare state.

In the battle for the post of CSSD statutory deputy chairman, Hasek defeated Lubomir Zaoralek. The battle was tough as well. The other two nominated candidates, Zdenek Skromach and David Rath, gave up their candidacies in favour of Hasek and Zaoralek, respectively. Skromach accused Sobotka of not having supported Hasek in this contest though he had promised to do so.

Political analysts told CTK that the CSSD, with Sobotka at the helm, will continue its policy of torpedoing the government reforms. They said they do not expect the recent tough battle between Sobotka and Hasek's camps of supporters to cause a visible rift in the party. It may influence the internal decision making, nevertheless, they said.

The former CSSD leadership was partly replaced with new faces at the congress, which elected Jiri Dienstbier, Marie Benesova, Zaoralek, Skromach and Martin Starec regular deputy chairpersons.

Of the five, only Zaoralek and Skromach held the post before and were re-elected.

Milan Urban and Roman Onderka failed to be re-elected as deputy chairmen.

"It is an optimal combination," Sobotka said about the party's new leadership. He said he hopes the leadership will come up with new ideas, initiative and unity.

Hasek, too, spoke about a single CSSD and the end of two rival factions. He said the CSSD must win the regional elections next year and the general elections in 2014.

Former CSSD chairman Jiri Paroubek, who resigned from the post after the mid-2010 general elections which the CSSD narrowly won but was ousted to opposition, refused to attend the congress.

He released his speech accusing the CSSD of clearing space for President Vaclav Klaus and the junior ruling Public Affairs (VV) instead of criticising the government reforms itself and submitting alternative projects.

Martin Pecina, former interior minister, said he would resign as a lower house deputy over bad cooperation with Sobotka.

PM and senior ruling Civic Democrat (ODS) head Petr Necas said the election of Sobotka did not surprise him. The CSSD's diversion from its "populist policy" cannot be expected. Despite this, he wants to patiently negotiate with the CSSD as democratic opposition, Necas said.

Petr Gazdik, head of the junior ruling TOP 09 group of deputies, said he expects the CSSD to come closer to the Communists (KSCM) now. Unlike him, VV informal leader Vit Barta said he hopes that the government can now start a responsible discussion on planned reforms with the CSSD.

Junior opposition KSCM chairman Vojtech Filip said he expects the CSSD to start behaving like a genuine opposition party and to realise that this is impossible without the KSCM's help.

However, the CSSD congress upheld the party's previous decision not to cooperate with the KSCM on the government level.

Sobotka, in his speech, sharply criticised the cabinet of the ODS, TOP 09 and VV for a tax increase, pension reform and other steps. Hasek, an influential governor of South Moravia region, joined the criticism and called on the CSSD to start preparing for next year's regional elections.

Sobotka and Hasek said it is not enough for the CSSD to win the polls. It must gain 30 percent of the vote at least for the rightist parties not to oust it from leading positions in regional managements.

Sobotka thanked to Paroubek for his work as previous CSSD chairman, but said the party must be different than in Paroubek's era. It must not succumb to "intoxication", nor can it change its positions in accordance with public opinion polls, Sobotka said.

The congress rejected most of the proposed changes to the party statutes such as extending the leaders' mandate to three years from the present two, quotas for female candidates and steps to stem expedient mass recruitment of new members.

On the other hand, the delegates approved a change preventing cumulation of party posts.

Valtr Komarek, former post-1989 Czechoslovak deputy prime minister and former adviser to Cuban revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara, was unanimously elected CSSD honorary chairman.