Mayors and Independents cutting ties with controversial mayor

Interior minister and head of the Mayors and Independents party Vít Rakušan has said he would remove Poděbrady mayor Jaroslav Červinka from the list of candidates for the autumn local elections if he does not withdraw his candidacy himself. The ruling coalition party is distancing itself from the mayor, after it emerged that he had said the Roma should be shot several years ago. The mayor later apologized for the statement, but the party’s supervisory board has filed a motion to suspend Červinka's membership in the party.