Social Democrats Unanimously Ban Cooperation With Far-Right SPD

Milos Zeman Andrej Babis Tomio Okamura

Hradec Kralove, East Bohemia, April 28 (CTK) – The Czech Social Democrat (CSSD) central executive committee banned cooperation on the national level with the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) of Tomio Okamura movement at its meeting today.

 

The decision on the ban was approved unanimously, the party’s leader Jan Hamacek said.

 

The CSSD congress held in February declared that a possible future government of ANO and the CSSD must not rely on SPD votes. “The process that started at our congress has been completed,” CSSD deputy head Roman Onderka said.

 

In 1995, the CSSD approved a ban on cooperation with the Communist Party (KSCM) on the national level. This ban is still valid, but the CSSD is negotiating about a government with the ANO movement backed by the Communists.

 

The Social Democrats also want ANO to distance from the SPD as a possible coalition partner.

 

They call for the removal of ANO politicians from senior posts in parliament. The government lineup should be reflected in the composition of the key bodies of the lower house of parliament, they said.

 

The CSSD also pointed to statements by SPD representatives that challenged the Holocaust and criticised the Czech membership of the European Union.

 

In early April, the CSSD left the negotiating table and ANO leader Andrej Babis planned to make a pact with the KSCM and the SPD, but the ANO broad leadership opposed the idea.