Macek asked to leave party ranks

Miroslav Macek, who physically attacked Health Minister David Rath at a meeting of Czech dentists on Saturday has been asked to leave the Civic Democratic Party. Mr. Macek, a former deputy prime minister in the 1990s and long-time adviser to President Vaclav Klaus, was chairing the meeting of dentists when he walked over to the minister and without warning hit him on the back of the head. He said later he had been settling "a personal account".

The attack was severely condemned by Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek who said at an impromptu press conference that he viewed the attack as a political affair and called on President Klaus to reprimand his advisor. Mr. Paroubek said the Civic Democrats were creating an atmosphere conductive to violence against left wing parties. The President's Office has not commented on the incident. The Civic Democratic Party has distanced itself from Macek's action and asked him to leave party ranks. Mr. Macek told the CTK news agency he had no intention of doing so.