Czech TV boss fights on

Hodac is facing increasing public pressure to resign

The controversial new director-general of Czech Television (CT), Jiri Hodac, has said he will not step down, despite increasing public and political pressure.

CT officials said Mr Hodac, who is in hospital after collapsing on Thursday, was not planning to quit "under any circumstances".

I just spoke to Mr director and he assured me that he is not planning to resign under any circumstances

CT head of news, Jana Bobosikova

The station's council is expected to meet on Monday to decide whether to heed a call by parliament to sack Mr Hodac.

TV journalists have been occupying studios in protest at Mr Hodac's appointment, because they believe he is not politically impartial.

On Sunday, several thousand people attended a concert called Music against Censorship in support of striking staff.

Back to work

Mr Hodac's colleagues say he may return to work on Monday, after CT officials confirmed he would defy calls for his resignation.

Mr Hodac: Completely exhausted

"I just spoke to Mr director... and he assured me that he is not planning to resign under any circumstances," said CT's head of news, Jana Bobosikova, a Hodac appointee.

Mr Hodac's position was confirmed by the TV council's chairman, Miroslav Mares, who said it was unlikely the body would vote to remove the director-general.

On Friday evening, the Czech parliament passed a motion calling on Mr Hodac to resign, after a marathon 15-hour emergency session.

Legal manoeuvres

The parliamentary resolution called on the Czech Television Council, which appointed Mr Hodac in December, to dismiss him at its meeting on Monday.

The council is an independent body, and has the sole power to appoint and dismiss the director-general.

It is dominated by appointees of the two main parties in parliament - the ruling Social Democrats and the opposition Civic Democrats (ODS).

CT staff say that Mr Hodac's appointment was made in order to advance the interests of the two parties.

However, a legal amendment which parliament plans to rush through in weeks would replace the current council with one whose members would be proposed by civic groups, not politicians.

'Gross errors'

Withdrawing his earlier support for the station's new management, Prime Minister Milos Zeman said Mr Hodac had committed "gross errors".

But the prime minister was equally scathing of President Vaclav Havel for backing the journalists.

"In my view, anyone - even if it is the head of state - who calls for valid laws to be broken, has no business in Czech politics," he said.

A spokesman for Mr Havel said that he would seek an apology for the statement, which was "entirely unfounded".