Social Democrats outline plan for political comeback

The Social Democratic Party, which was sidelined from mainstream politics after failing to win seats in Parliament in the last general election,s outlined its future priorities at its weekend conference in Brno.  Its main goal, according to party chair Michal Šmarda, is to present the party as a responsible alternative to the right-wing government and the "populist, nationalist opposition". Šmarda unveiled a plan for the party's return to the limelight, in four stages described as a clean-up, a reboot, new faces and ultimately, a comeback. Šmarda said the first “clean-up” phase, i.e. resolving the financial problems of the debt-ridden party by selling or leasing some of its real estate and slimming down its organizational structure was almost complete.