Major Reshuffle In Czechoslovakia

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32209, 30 January 1970, Page 13

Major Reshuffle In Czechoslovakia

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) PRAGUE, January 29. Dr Lubomir Strougal, a tough-minded former Interior Minister, today headed Czechoslovakia’s new Federal Government after a profound Communist Party shake-up swept away the last remnants of the Dubcek era.

The Communist leadership—already pruned five months ago of those reformers who backed Mr Alexander Dubcek’s dream of “communism with- a human face”— was last night shorn of middle-of-the-road politicians. The Prime Minister (Mr Oldrich Cernik) was replaced by the 45-year-old Mr Strougal. Mr Cernik, aged 49, was appointed Prime Minister at the height of the Dubcek reform campaign in April, 1968. He kept his post after the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invason of August, 1968, but switched allegiance to Mr Dubcek’s successor as party secretary, the conservative, Dr Gustav Husak. . He remains in the Cabinet as Minister Chairman of the Committee for Technical and Investment Development. Mr Strougal has been a staunch backer of the Soviet Union since the invasion and, as head of the party’s Czech Bureau, he carried out a swift purge of the liberal press and reformist elements in the party apparatus shortly

after the downfall of Mr Dubcek last April. Observers said that the appointment of Dr Strougal and the election of three new party presidium members had weakened Dr Husak’s position. But the 57-year-old former First Secretary of the Slovak Communist Party has by no means lost his struggle to contain the ultra-conserva-tives and to prevent the current purge turning into revenge-seeking. The new men in the presidium—the Prague party secretary, Mr Antonin Kapek, the new Czech Premier, Mr Josef Korcak, and Mr Jozef Lenart, a Prime Minister during the hard-line Novotny era, now present Dr Husak with less certain backing inside the 11-man presidium. The resignations of Dr Cernik, the Slovak party leader, Mr Stefan Sadovsky, and the trade union boss, Mr Karel Polack, eliminate three who held office during the Dubcek liberalisation period. Almost buried in the flurry of announcements from yesterday’s party central committee meeting in Prague Castle and from President Ludvic Svoboda’s office was news of the fate of Mr Dubcek himself. The committee heard a let-

ter of Mr Dubcek—now relegated to Ambassador to Tur-key-resigning from its ranks. This was done “on the proposal of the presidium,” clear indication that this was the only alternative for Mr Dubcek if he did not bow to conservative pressure to admit that the failings of his leadership justified the invasion.