Grebeníček unlikely to return to lower house

Former Communist leader Miroslav Grebeníček has been placed ninth on the party’s list of candidates in the South Moravia region, the news website Novinky.cz reported. The low placing means he will have little hope of winning re-election to the Chamber of Deputies at the next elections. Delegates at the meeting said the move resulted from a wish to rejuvenate the party. However, Mr. Grebeníček, who is 66, said he did not wish to stand in any case. Regarded as a hardliner, he was chairman of the Communist Party from 1993 until 2005. He has held a seat in the lower house since 1996.

Author: Ian Willoughby