Social Democrat congress gets under way; Jiri Paroubek re-elected as leader

The Social Democratic Party's annual congress has begun in Brno. The Social Democrats are holding their conference as an opposition party for the first time in nine years. The main items on this year's agenda include the party's modernisation and its strategy for the upcoming presidential election. Party chairman Jiri Paroubek was re-elected as the Social Democrat leader at the conference on Friday evening. He received sixty percent of the delegates' votes, a total which was significantly less than expected. Mr Paroubek was the only person standing for the post.

Author: Coilin O'Connor