Ombudsman Varvařovský to step down next week

The Ombudsman of the Czech Republic, Pavel Varvařovský, has told his colleagues that he will be stepping down from his post on December 20. Mr. Varvařovský made the announcement on Wednesday without giving exact reasons for his departure. His deputy Stanislav Křeček will head the office until a new ombudsman is elected, which has to happen within 60 days of the resignation. Mr. Varvařovský was a Constitutional Court judge between 1994 and 2004, and took up the post of ombudsman in September 2010.