Bursík resigns as Green Party leader after poor showing in European elections

Martin Bursík has resigned as leader of the Greens in the wake of a poor showing for the party in elections to the European Parliament at the weekend. The Green Party received just two percent of the vote, falling well short of the five-percent threshold needed to win any seats. Speaking after a five-hour meeting of the Greens’ leadership, Mr Bursík said he was taking personal responsibility for the party’s electoral failure. Deputy head Ondřej Liška has been named acting chairman and will lead the Greens into early elections in October.

The Green Party was for some time beset by internal divisions which culminated with some high-profile members leaving to form another Green group, who also did badly in the European elections.