Prague mayor elected head of Prague ODS

Prague, Jan 30 (CTK) - Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda was elected chairman of the Prague branch of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) yesterday, replacing Boris Stastny who officially tendered his resignation earlier yesterday.

Svoboda was supported by 68 out of the 95 voting delegates.

Svoboda had only one contender, former member of the City Hall Jiri Janecek who received ten votes in the secret ballot.

Svoboda told the delegates before his election that the ODS's dominant position in Prague should be renewed.

This was impossible by continuing with the existing political line when the party was threatened with losing its electorate and any importance, Svoboda said.

"The tension in the Prague branch was not caused by any rapid exchange of coalition (at the Prague City Hall). On the contrary, it halted the negative process of disintegration and it turned this disintegration into a point of departure," Svoboda said.

At the end of last year, he agreed with a coalition with TOP 09 that had replaced the previous cooperation of the ODS with the Social Democrats, many right-wing voters deeply resented.

The post of deputy chairman of the ODS Prague branch went to Deputy Finance Minister Zbynek Zajicek, who was elected by 84 out of the 95 voting delegates.

Svoboda, 67, is a gynaecologist and obstetrician.

In 2003-2010, he was dean of the 3rd Faculty of Medicine in Prague.

In 1992-1998, he was the first president of Czech Doctors' Chamber (CLK).

He entered the ODS in September 2011, before he was always unaffiliated.

Svoboda is author of scientific articles, holds a number of professional posts, such as chairman of the National Council for Medical Standards and deputy chairman of the oncological section of the Czech Gynaecological-Obstetrical Society.