Kuba backs Němcová as electoral leader of Civic Democrats

The acting chairman of the Civic Democrats, Martin Kuba, says he will support Miroslava Němcová becoming the party’s leader for the next election campaign. Mr. Kuba made the comments in an interview for the news website iDnes.cz, adding that the next party congress at which senior positions would be contested was scheduled for after elections likely to take place next May at the latest. The Civic Democrats and the other two parties from the former coalition are pushing for Mrs. Němcová to become prime minister if candidates nominated by the president prove unsuccessful. Mr. Kuba became acting leader following the resignation of Petr Nečas, who was forced to quit as prime minister when his girlfriend was charged with bribery and spying.