Fiala confirms candidacy for party leader

Former education minister Petr Fiala has confirmed his candidacy for party leader at the Civic Democrats election conference in January. Mr. Fiala, who only joined the Civic Democratic Party recently, is perceived as a capable and trustworthy figure who can help turn around the party’s fortunes in the wake of a crushing defeat in the last general elections. The former rector of Masaryk University, who is not connected to the party’s crippling corruption scandals or aborted promises, said on Saturday that he had decided to accept the challenge and try to bring the party out of its drawn-out crisis. The conference will take place on January 17 -18 and Mr. Fiala is expected to have two rivals for the top post – deputy chairwoman Miroslava Němcová who shoulders the burden of the party’s past failures and MEP Eduard Kožušník.