Prague, July 18 (CTK) – Czech Prime Minster Bohuslav Sobotka, former chairman of the Social Democrats (CSSD), wants to stay the party’s active party member, but he has no ambition to return to its leadership, he said in an interview for CTK today
He added that he would have more time for the government and the campaign before the October 20-21 general election now.
Sobotka gave up the posts of CSSD chairman and its election leader a month ago due the party’s plummeting preferences.
CSSD first deputy chairman and Interior Minister Milan Chovanec replaced Sobotka at the party’s helm, while Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek became the election leader.
“In any case, I want to remain an active member of the CSSD. And if this will be on the level of the South Moravia Region, I will have no problems with it. I do not have any ambition to return to the leadership of the Social Democratic Party,” Sobotka said.
He has more time for a campaign in the South Moravia Region where he is running for the Chamber of Deputies as well as for his work in the cabinet, he added.
However, Sobotka is of the view that the model of the division of the posts of the prime minister and head of the strongest government party cannot work for long and become standard.
“This model cannot work for long. I think this would be wrong,” he said.
This is also why Zaoralek is a candidate for prime minister, he added.
Yet this solution helped increase the CSSD’ s dynamics and calmed down internal disputes in the party at present, Sobotka said.
He found inspiration in the German SPD in which Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel gave up the leadership in favour of Martin Schulz in March.
“My ambition is to help CSSD achieve the best possible election results in the autumn to become a useful part of the next government and maybe form this government after the election,”Sobotka said
Ha admitted that it had primarily been tiresome for him to solve internal disputes in the CSSD.
“They seem trivial to me in view of the CSSD’s tasks in society, their defending of employees, families with children and seniors,” he said.
He had a feeling that the party had spent too much energy on internal affairs and disputes.
Sobotka said he considered the calming down of the situation in the CSSD an apparent result of his departure from the party’s helm.
“This was also one of the reasons why I made this decision. I think that the CSSD must stop being preoccupied with itself and fully focus on the election campaign and communication with voters,” he pointed out.
