Prague, March 25 (CTK) – Petr Gazdik, 42, was re-elected the Czech Mayors and Independents (STAN) movement’s chairman receiving 135 out of the 145 votes or 93 percent at its congress Saturday, STAN election commission head Zdenek Hovezak has announced.
Vit Rakusan, 38, deputy to Central Bohemia regional governor, defended his post of the STAN first deputy chairman. He was elected by 133 out of the 145 delegates, that is 92 percent.
Gazdik and Rakusan were the only candidates for the posts.
Radim Srsen, deputy head of the Czech Association of Local Self-rules, MP Vera Kovarova and senator Jan Hornik were elected other STAN deputy heads.
The congress is now electing another three deputy chairpersons. It will also decide on a coalition with the junior government Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) for the October general election.
Gazdik thanked the delegates for their trust.
“I will keep working for you in the best possible way. We will go ahead,” Gazdik said after his election.
The STAN movement succeeded in the regional election last autumn and it has the third strongest group in the Senate, the upper house of Czech parliament, he said.
The movement is successful mainly in smaller municipalities, but it would like to strengthen its position in big towns as well, he added.
Rakusan said STAN was becoming successful, which the participation of leading politicians from other parties in its congress as well as their effort to win STAN as their partner proved.
He also said he did not fear that its possible coalition with the KDU-CSL would not cross the 10-percent threshold for entering the Chamber of Deputies.
hol/dr
