Christian Democrat leader steps down

Christian Democrat leader Cyril Svoboda announced he had tendered his resignation as party chairman. His announcement came as election results from most regions had come through with the long established party falling short of the 5.0 percent threshold needed for entry into the lower house. Mr. Svoboda said he expected the party to convene a meeting in June to decide its future. He added that it faced a clear challenge to rethink its direction. Separately, former Social Democrat prime minister Miloš Zeman said he would step down from the recently formed Party for Citizens’ Rights after it failed also to win a seat in the lower house. The leadership of the Green Party also said it would propose to let a party meeting decide on who would fill the top positions.

Author: Chris Johnstone