Sobotka warns against ties with Public Affairs

The acting head of the Social Democratic Party, Bohuslav Sobotka, has warned fellow Social Democrats not to qualify junior government party Public Affairs as a future coalition partner. He issued the warning in a report to the Social Democrat leadership. Spelling out his vision for his own party, Mr Sobotka said that Social Democrats needed to act as a radical opposition and alternative to the current government. Mr Sobotka is running for the post of party chairman next month against South Moravian governor and MP Michal Hašek. The latter has taken a somewhat more conciliatory approach on the political scene: not long ago, he said that the Social Democrats needed to build up their coalition potential, referring to events last May, when the party narrowly won the national election but was unable to form a coalition.