Čtvrtek 28. března 2024, svátek má Soňa
130 let

Lidovky.cz

Zeman to the Castle?

  14:48

Ex-PM Miloš Zeman says he’s ‘willing to candidate’ in direct president elections and won’t prevent the SPOZ from launching a petition

foto: © ČTKČeská pozice

The minor center-left Citizens’ Rights Party – Zemanites (SPOZ) has said it will field Miloš Zeman, the former Czech prime minister after whom the party is named, as a candidate for Czech presidency in 2013 but only if ordinary cizitens are allowed to cast ballots. “I am willing to candidate in direct — but not parliamentary — elections,” Zeman said, as cited by Czech news agency ČTK.

Previously, the former Social Democrat (ČSSD) leader and current SPOZ figurehead had said he would make a run for the presidency if a significant number of people signed a petition asking him to do so. “I will not block SPOZ from organizing such a petition,” he said Tuesday.

According to a draft law allowing for direct presidential elections, a potential candidate would need to collect 50,000 signatures (or the support of 10 senators or 20 MPs) in order to be nominated. The Zemanites alone can count on 100,000 signatories, ČTK said.

An overwhelming majority of Czech citizens would like to see the ruling center-right coalition of the Civic Democrats (ODS), TOP 09 and Public Affairs (VV) deliver on its promise to allow for direct presidential elections, according to a February poll by SANEP. President Václav Klaus ends his second and — as stipulated by the Constitution — final term as president in 2013.

Zeman left the ČSSD on March 21, 2007, due to conflicts with then party chairman Jiří Paroubek. He founded SPOZ in October 2009, with financing from his Miroslav Šlouf — a former communist youth leader whose Slavia Consulting company brokered the LUKoil deal to supply Prague’s airport.

RFE/RL reported that while denying allegations that it is financed by LUKoil, the SPOZ had acknowledged taking money from Russian-connected lobbyists, Šlouf being chief among them.

 

 

Autor: