Communists Push for Ondracek to Head GIBS commission

Prague, Jan 28 (CTK) – The Communists (KSCM) insist on their MP Zdenek Ondracek to head the Czech Chamber of Deputies’ commission supervising the General Inspection of Security Forces (GIBS), KSCM chairman Vojtech Filip said in a debate on public Czech Television (CT) today.

 

The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Czech parliament, did not elect Ondracek as the commission head since the opposition parties had raised objections to his past as a member of the riot police unit, who had taken part in a crackdown on anti-Communist demonstrators in 1989.

 

Filip told CT that the KSCM would not give up Ondracek’s nomination. He pointed to the agreements on the filling of posts it the Chamber of Deputies.

 

The Pirates, for instance, said the heads of the controlling commissions should be divided among the opposition parties, Filip added.

 

Last week, the Pirates proposed their own candidate for the GIBS commission head, MP Mikulas Ferjencik.

 

Shortly before Christmas, the Chamber of Deputies elected Ondracek head of the commission for GIBS, but Chamber chairman Radek Vondracek (ANO) subsequently annulled the step over doubts about how many MPs had taken part in the secret vote.

 

Filip said today that Ondracek had been elected in December.

 

He has a professional qualification for this post, Filip said justifying the nomination.

 

Pirates chairman Ivan Bartos, another participant in the Questions of Vaclav Moravec TV discussion programme, said no one had questioned Ondracek’s professional skills.

 

“He may submit his expert opinions as a rank-and-file commission member,” said Bartos, who will vacate his seat in the commission for Ferjencik.

 

If the Communists decided to nominate another candidate for the election, they would have to replace Ondracek with this person in the commission.

 

The deputies will have to choose the GIBS commission head again after Ondracek gained 83 votes last week, while he needed at least 94 votes to reach majority of the 186 deputies present.

 

Ondracek’s nomination as head of the commission for GIBS raised a controversy due to his service as a police officer under the communist regime.