Roma establish new party

Prague, Jan 20 (CTK) - The new Equal Opportunities Party (SRP) wants to defend the interests of not only Romanies, but of all Czech socially weak citizens, Stefan Tiser, who was elected its leader at its constituent meeting Friday, has told CTK.

Tiser is a member of the Romany Holocaust Compensation Committee.

The posts of deputy chairpersons will be held by Cenek Ruzicka, chairman of the Romany Holocaust Compensation Committee, and teacher Antonie Burianska.

Tiser said the party was established because "no one has defended the interests of socially weak groups in the Czech Republic."

Now the founding members will travel across the country and build the party, he added.

Ruzicka said the SRP would like to run in the autumn regional elections.

He said it would have the biggest chances in the towns with a numerous Romany population.

The Interior Ministry registered the SRP on December 19, 2011.

At first it was to be called Adaj which means "we are here" in Romany, but the founders eventually preferred a more neutral name.

Romanies have considered establishing their own party since last summer.

Ruzicka announced the intention to found a political party in Lety, south Bohemia, last autumn.

He spoke at a monument to over 1300 Romanies who were forced to stay in the Lety internment camp during the German Nazi occupation, 327 of whom perished in the camp and over 500 were sent to Oswiecim (Auschwitz).

He said the Romanies realised they could not do without a party of their own after the autumn riots in the Sluknov region, north Bohemia, where the majority population clashed with local Romanies.

Romanies were represented in the parliament in the 1990s. The Romany Civic Initiative (ROI) had seven members of the Chamber of Deputies.

"However, it was a different situation," Ruzicka said, adding that at that time the ROI was supported by former president Vaclav Havel.