Prague, Jan 8 (CTK) – Former Czech Chamber of Deputies chairman Jan Hamacek accepted the nomination for the post of leader of Social Democrats (CSSD) on Monday, Hamacek himself has tweeted.
Hamacek, now a party deputy chairman, said the party was struggling for survival and that he wanted to resurrect it.
The Social Democrats will elect their new board at their special national conference in February after their rout in the October general election, in which they only received 7.3 percent of the vote, compared with 20.45 percent four years ago.
Now the party only has 15 mandates in the 200-member Chamber of Deputies.
Critics of the current party leaders have formed a faction called Let Us Save the CSSD, demanding a direct election of the party leader and reconciliation with President Milos Zeman.
The party board has not reacted to this effort.
“One should not tell any lies. The Social Democrats are in a bad situation,” Hamacek said.
“The party that used to be self-confident and strong is now close to the rock bottom,” he added.
Hamacek said he perceived the frustration of and criticism from the rank-and-file.
“Each of us are more or less to blame for the current state of affairs,” Hamacek said.
“It does not make sense to keep returning to what was done wrongly or even to silence or expel anyone,” he added.
Hamacek said he would like to improve the communication with the party members and address more young people.
Former party leader Bohuslav Sobotka left last June due to the falling party preferences. Now the party has acting leader Milan Chovanec.
Sobotka said he did not intend to return to the CSSD leadership.
Hamacek joined the party in 2001. Between 2013 and 2017, he was chairman of the Chamber of Deputies and now he is one of its deputy chairpersons.
The server denik.cz has written former Military Counter-Intelligence (VZ) head Miroslav Krejcik also wants to become the Social Democrat leader.
Krejcik is at present director of the printing company Postovni tiskarna cenin.
“Yes, I announced my position today,” Krejcik told denik.cz.
Krejcik is a graduate from the military academy and while in the military, he was promoted to the rank of general.
