Prague, April 8 (CTK) – The Czech Social Democrats (CSSD) will focus on clearly leftist issues in the upcoming election campaign, with dual quality of food in the EU being one of the crucial ones, CSSD deputy chairman and election manager Jan Birke told journalists today.
Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka’s CSSD does not want to seek a confrontation with ANO, the rival movement of Finance Minister Andrej Babis. It wants to try to win those among the centre-left voters who feel disappointed by Babis, Birke said during a meeting of the CSSD Central Executive Committee.
The general election will be held on October 20-21.
Birke said the CSSD will present its complete election programme at a conference in mid-June.
Before, it will be coming up with clearly leftist topics.
“True, we are turning the rudder to the left and starting to eye traditional left-oriented voters, which is undoubtedly employees, families with children and seniors,” Birke said.
He said the campaign will be positive and calm.
“We will not seek any confrontation. I want to avoid Andrej Babis, he is not my key or target voter, I am uninterested in him,” Birke said.
He said he is interested in centre-left voters whom Babis has “annoyed so much that they would never cast their ballot for him.”
Dual quality of foods in the EU’s western and eastern countries, which Sobotka discussed with his Slovak, Polish and Hungarian counterparts a month ago, will be a part of the CSSD campaign’s agenda.
“It will be one of the crucial topics,” Birke said.
The ANO of Babis, a billionaire, has long comfortably led party popularity polls, with the runner-up CSSD lagging far behind. ANO is a hot favourite of the general election.
rtj/dr
