Parties in Czechoslovakia Nominate Havel, Dubcek
A meeting of all of Czechoslovakia’s political parties Friday nominated opposition leader Vaclav Havel for president and Alexander Dubcek as Parliament chairman, the official news agency CTK reported.
Havel, a dissident playwright whose works were banned, emerged as the opposition leader during a peaceful revolution that began in mid-November and ended four decades of Communist rule.
Dubcek was Communist Party chief in 1968 and led the Prague Spring of reform that was crushed by a Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invasion.
CTK quoted a statement issued after Friday’s meeting as saying: “In agreement with the publicly expressed will of the Czechoslovak public, we recognize as a respected representative . . . for the office of president Mr. Vaclav Havel and for the office of Federal Assembly chairman, Mr. Alexander Dubcek.”
The talks also produced an agreement on restructuring Parliament, which is to vote Dec. 29 on the two positions, the agency said, but no details were available Friday.
Although the majority of posts in the Cabinet are filled by non-Communists, members of the party still dominate Parliament. The Dec. 29 session is to be televised live.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
