Jiří Paroubek re-elected as Social Democrat party leader

Jiří Paroubek was re-elected the leader of the opposition Social Democrats at the party’s convention in Prague on Saturday. The former prime minister, who faced no other candidate, received 74 percent of votes. The three-day party congress also elected five deputy leaders, including shadow foreign minister Lubomír Zaorálek and Brno mayor Roman Onderka.

One of the main speakers at the convention on Saturday was Slovak PM Robert Fico. He said that social democrats have to focus on defending the concept of social state and reject solutions offered by right wing parties. On Friday, Czech President Václav Klaus appeared at the Social Democrat congress for the first time ever. His speech was closely-watched, as it came days ahead of a key no-confidence vote on the current government. The president declined to comment the upcoming vote, but suggested that during the period of economic crisis political parties needed to display extra responsibility in the interests of the country.