Prague, Jan 22 (CTK) – Czech MEP Petr Mach defended the post of leader of the Free Citizens Party (SSO) yesterday as he received 301 out of the 487 votes in an online vote, party spokesman Martin Rumler told journalists yesterday.
Roughly one-half of the party members took part in the vote.
Mach had two challengers. Economist Martin Panek received 128 votes and educational expert Irena Steinhauserova 58 votes.
In December, Mach, 41, resigned over disputes concerning the party’s further focus.
The dispute was about the idea whether the Czech Republic’s leaving the EU should be the party’s sole election topic. Mach did not support the proposal.
Mach said the party members had made it quite clear that they want the SSO to insist on its vision of a liberal state with low taxes and a vision of a sovereign Czech Republic.
“The Free will offer a major tax cut, an EU membership referendum and freedom for everyone to live their one’s own lives,” Mach said.
The SSO was founded mostly by dissidents from the center-right Civic Democratic Party (ODS) in February 2009.
It has never been elected to the Chamber of Deputies, but in the 2014 election to the European Parliament, it received one seat.
The party is eurosceptical and it insists on a referendum on whether to accept the euro, which it rejects.
