President appeals to Civic Democratic Party to return to original roots

President Václav Klaus has appealed to members of the Civic Democratic Party – the party which he founded and led as prime minister and opposition leader in the 1990s – to bring the party back to its original roots and previous standing on the political map. Mr Klaus gave up honorary chairmanship of the right-of-centre Civic Democrats last December, unhappy with the party’s direction under his successor Mirek Topolánek. He also missed a recent ceremony marking the 18th anniversary of the party’s founding. The president’s latest statements were presented in an open letter to rank-and-file Civic Democrats, charging the party had made a fundamental shift to the left.