Presidential candidate Jakl launches petition for his bid

Prague, Sept 23 (CTK) - Ladislav Jakl, presidential candidate of the Czech Free Citizens' Party (SSO), has collected 10,000 signatures for his petition he launched on Friday, Jakl told journalists Sunday.

The signatures are being collected by roughly 1,500 volunteers across the Czech Republic, Jakl said.

A total of 50,000 are needed to run for president of the Czech Republic.

President Vaclav Klaus was the first to have signed the petition for Jakl, who works as Klaus's assistant in the Presidential Office.

In all, there are 50 collection centres in the Czech Republic where the petition sheets can be signed for Jakl.

Jakl said Klaus did not give him any advice on his campaign.

The SSO is not represented in the Czech parliament.

"Our working relation is still defined so that I give advice to him," Jakl said.

Jakl said he could not rule out the notion that Klaus could become one of his external aides if he succeeded in the presidential election.

"I think he would be quite a good aide," Jakl said.

Jakl said he was running with the belief that "discrimination of all kind" should be prevented.

He went on to say that he supported the free market environment and was opposed to "violent collectivism."

SSO leader Petr Mach gave a bottle of Irish whisky to Jakl for having collected 10,000 signatures.

Due to a recent wave of fatal poisoning from bootleg alcohol, liquor with over 20 percent of alcohol was banned in the Czech Republic.

Mach said he had bought the bottle abroad.

The SSO and Jakl are against across-the-board bans and state regulations, they said.

According to the latest polls, former caretaker prime minister Jan Fischer is the favourite of the presidential election.

Czechs will elect their president directly for the first time next March, when Klaus's second and last possible term of office expires.