The ruling coalition Spolu (ODS, TOP 09, and KDU-ČSL) has endorsed three candidates for the upcoming presidential election in January, namely Senator Pavel Fischer, former Mendel University rector Danuša Nerudová and General Petr Pavel. The coalition will not run its candidate because this would lead to a split in forces, Czech Prime Minister and ODS chair Petr Fiala announced on Tuesday.
The coalition will not field its candidate. According to Fiala, it is up to the voters to decide which of the three candidates they will support in the election’s first round. Still, the coalition does not intend to make any specific recommendations. Members of the governing parties will also have a free hand.
The Spolu campaign will promote values.
Although the Spolu coalition has not fielded its candidate and has recommended that voters choose between three candidates, it also intends to launch an information campaign to promote the values the president should espouse.
The presidential elections will take place on January 13 and 14, 2023, roughly three months from now. Several months ago, the Spolu coalition said it would like to field a presidential candidate, but that has now changed.
Fiala, like the head of TOP 09, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, would like to see a president who is not populist and does not belong to the extremist part of the political spectrum. Fiala believes that the new head of state, who will succeed President Miloš Zeman, who cannot run again, should uphold the rule of law and pro-Western values while uniting a divided society.
Roughly two dozen people have joined the fight for the castle and the candidates above. These include billionaire Karel Janeček, trade union chief Josef Středula, senator and another unsuccessful candidate in the last presidential election Marek Hilšer, former Charles University rector Tomáš Zima and former Energy Regulatory Office chairwoman Alena Vitásková.
The candidacy of ANO chairman and ex-premier Andrej Babiš has long been speculated, but he plans to announce his decision at the end of October.