Former Czech PM Fischer would win direct presidential poll-press

Fischer, now European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) vice-president, would be preferred by one third of people who did not rule out their participation in the election.

One sixth of the polled would choose economist Jan Svejnar, unsuccessful presidential candidate in 2008, and businessman Tomio Okamura would get one tenth of the vote.

The direct presidential election was approved by the Senate on Wednesday. The Chamber of Deputies passed it before.

The direct election is to be held for the first time next year when current President Vaclav Klaus´s second and last possible mandate expires.

His mandate expires on March 7, 2013. The new head of state must be chosen between the 60th and 30th day ahead of the expiry under law. This means the elections will be held between January 6 and February 5, 2013.

Until now the president has been elected by the two houses of parliament.

Fischer, Svejnar and Okamura are all unaffiliated.

Current Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, TOP 09 chairman, has the biggest chance of election out of the party candidates that have been mentioned to date.

He would be supported by 6 percent. Chamber of Deputies chairwoman Miroslava Nemcova (senior government Civic Democrats, ODS) would get 3 percent and Senate deputy chairman Premysl Sobotka (ODS) 2.5 percent of the vote.

Three-quarters of people would go to the polls, according to the poll.

Fischer, who has already announced his presidential candidacy, won the SC&C poll last year already when he was supported by about one quarter of people, followed by Svejnar with a minimal loss on him.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz