The Civic Democrats' (ODS) leadership will follow the example of its chairman Vaclav Klaus and offer to resign at its meeting on 24-Jun-02, Lidove noviny wrote on 20-Jun-02, quoting deputy chairman Petr Necas. "We have agreed that we will resign at the leadership meeting on Monday," Necas said in the paper, adding that he will probably not seek re-election. Klaus said he did not know yet whether he would seek re-election, adding he was looking for a person who could replace him as the party chairman.

Although nobody from the ODS leadership openly criticised Klaus over the election failure or urged him to resign, the leadership knew it would have to resign together with Klaus, the paper wrote, adding that eventually Klaus decided to offer his resignation, partly because his family advised him to leave. Klaus's son allegedly told his father than unless he leaves, the ODS would lose even more voters and that Klaus should act like a man, the paper wrote.

The date of the ODS conference has not been set yet, but there are differences of opinion between the ODS leadership that wants to hold the conference in late autumn, after the local elections, and some ODS mayors calling for an earlier date. "Changes in the ODS must take place as soon as possible, otherwise left-wing parties may take control of local assemblies in which we currently have a strong position," Lubos Prusa, mayor of Pisek, south Bohemia, said in the paper. However, other towns, particularly the bigger ones, want to hold the conference after the local elections to prevent destabilisation of the party, the paper said.

(NewsBase 21.vi.02)