Zeman rules out supporting candidate in Social Democrats leadership vote

President Miloš Zeman says he will not directly support any candidate for the post of chairman when he appears at a congress of the Social Democrats the weekend after next. Mr. Zeman, himself a former leader of the party, made the comment in a TV interview broadcast on Thursday evening.

The president said the Social Democrats were internally divided and at a low ebb. After heading the last government, the party came sixth in elections in October with 7.3 percent backing.

Among the candidates for the post of chairman in the vote are acting leader Milan Chovanec, Jan Hamáček and Jiří Zimola.

Author: Ian Willoughby