Sobotka not planning to invite Zeman to Social Democrats congress

Prime minister and Social Democrats chairman Bohuslav Sobotka says he is not planning to invite President Miloš Zeman to a party congress in March. Mr. Sobotka made the comment in an interview with the TV station Nova. Mr. Zeman’s spokesman said it was up to the prime minister whether he invited the president. Mr. Zeman turned the Social Democrats into an election-winning force in the 1990 but quit the party in 2007. He was reportedly involved in a failed effort to oust Mr. Sobotka as chairman after the last elections that resulted in some of his supporters losing influence in the party.