Czech President leads 18-candidate field before January vote

Bloomberg

Czech President Milos Zeman is in the lead over a wide pool of contestants vying for the country’s highest office in a January vote. Eighteen candidates have registered, the Interior Ministry, which has until Nov. 24 to review applications, said on its website. The latest CVVM poll showed that Zeman, 73, would win the Jan. 12-13 first round with 34 percent, a result that would force a runoff between the two top performers two weeks later. Challengers include Jiri Drahos, the ex-chairman of the Czech Academy of Sciences who has 22 percent support, and the millionaire former co-owner of betting company Fortuna, Michal Horacek, with 13 percent. Former Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, who announced his candidacy on Sunday, wasn’t included.
“It is quite safe to assume that Milos Zeman will advance to the second round,” said Josef Mlejnek, a political scientist from Charles University in Prague. “The real fight is going to be over who his challenger will be.” Half a decade before this year’s election gains by anti-establishment parties across the EU, Zeman stormed back onto the the former communist nation’s political scene as a pro-Russian, anti-elite candidate who has since polarized Czech politics.
He is seeking a new five-year term after railing against Muslim immigration, which he has denounced as the “organized invasion” of Europe, and voicing support for Russia. Zeman has bashed the urban elites of “Prague coffeehouse society” that he says is detached from real-life problems, helping to propel his office to become one of the most trusted state institutions in the country of 10.6 million. While previous presidents served in a mostly ceremonial role, Zeman has pushed the boundaries of the constitution to carve out greater power for himself. Mlejnek said one example was the president’s announcement that he’ll give billionaire Andrej Babis, who’s seeking to form a minority government following parliamentary elections, two chances to form a cabinet even if he fails to win parliamentary approval in a first attempt.