Topolánek resists pressure and hangs on as leader of Civic Democrats

Mirek Topolánek has resisted pressure from within the Civic Democrats to step down as party chairman. After nearly 12 hours of talks with senior colleagues in Prague on Tuesday, Mr Topolánek said he would lead the party into elections in May. Senate chair Přemysl Sobotka and other members of the Civic Democrats leadership had urged the former prime minister to remove his name from the party’s candidates list following the emergence at the weekend of video of an interview he gave to a gay magazine. On the video, Mr Topolánek said the Roman Catholic Church had made idiots of the masses, and also made controversial comments about Transport Minister Gustáv Slamečka and Prime Minister Jan Fischer. When asked to offer adjectives for gay people, he said Mr Slamečka would fold under pressure. He said Mr Fischer would do the same even quicker, “because he is Jewish”. Mr Topolánek, who said his words had been taken out of context, later apologised to the Church, gays and Jews, though his apology did not succeed in quelling the row. On Tuesday evening he said sorry again, adding that he would “watch his mouth” in future.