Poll: Presidential election favourite Fischer gains ground

Prague, Sept 17 (CTK) - The Czech presidential election's biggest favourite Jan Fischer is even stronger after economist Jan Svejnar announced that he will not run in the direct election that will be held early next year, according to a ppm factum agency's poll released yesterday.

Former caretaker cabinet head Fischer (unaffiliated) is followed by former prime minister Milos Zeman (Party of Citizens' Rights, SPOZ) and these two candidates would advance to the second round of the presidential election, the poll showed.

Fischer won 27.7 percent of the vote, compared to 22 percent in August. Zeman won 22.7 percent in the latest poll.

All the other candidates received a markedly lower support.

Senator Jiri Dienstbier, nominated by the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD), won 6.9 percent. Artist Vladimir Franz (unaffiliated) won 6.6 percent, businessman Tomio Okamura 6.1 percent, Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09) 5.9 percent, and Senate deputy chairman Premysl Sobotka, nominated by the senior ruling Civic Democrats (ODS), 5.7 percent.

Economist and former minister Vladimir Dlouhy (unaffiliated) won 4.5 percent of the vote, former MEP Jana Bobosikova (etra-parliamentary Sovereignty) 3.8 percent and MEP Zuzana Roithova (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL) 3.4 percent.

The poll was conducted on September 6-16.

Czech citizens will elect their president directly for the first time. The mandate of outgoing President Vaclav Klaus will expire in March 2013.