Governor of North Moravia to challenge Klaus for party leadership

The governor of the North Moravia and Silesia region, Evzen Tosenovsky, has said he will challenge Vaclav Klaus for the leadership of the right-of-centre Civic Democrats at the party's national conference in December. Mr Tosenovsky said his candidature was a reaction to the party's poor showing at the June elections. Mr Klaus, prime minister in successive right-wing governments until 1997, came under pressure to resign as party leader following the elections, and said he would offer up his post at the party conference. Mr Tosenovsky is the first Civic Democrat member to say openly he will challenge Mr Klaus for the leadership.