Fischer refrains from backing either presidential candidate

Prague, Jan 14 (CTK) - Former Czech caretaker prime minister Jan Fischer, a beaten contender of the weekend direct presidential race, will take a leave and only later tell his voters whether to support anyone in the second round of the election, Jana Viskova, from Fischer's team, told CTK yesterday.

Although Fischer was widely considered a favourite of the election, he only took third place with 16.3 percent while former prime minister Milos Zeman and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg advanced to the run-off with 24.2 and 23.4 percent, respectively.

The second round is scheduled for January 25-26.

Due to his candidature, Fischer gave up the post of deputy president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) he held between September 2010 and last November.

"It is common knowledge that Jan Fischer has resigned from the post in the EBRD," Viskova replied to the question of whether he wanted to return to the bank.

Composer and artist Vladimir Franz (unaffiliated, 6.8 percent) has not given any recommendation either.

He said on Saturday he had his candidate, but he would not disclose him.

"No change has occurred on the part of Professor Franz and there is no effort to name his favorite," Franz's team has said.

Actress Tana Fischerova (3.2 percent) and the head of the extra-parliamentary anti-European Sovereignty party, Jana Bobosikova (2.4 percent), too, will not recommend anyone.

Support to Schwarzenberg has been voiced by official candidate of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Premysl Sobotka (2.5 percent) and Christian Democrat MEP Zuzana Roithova (4.95 percent).

Zeman is backed by the Communists (KSCM) and also by the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) who nominated Jiri Dienstbier (16.1 percent).

Some Social Democrat high-profile figures, such as former party leader and prime minister Vladimir Spidla, believe that Schwarzenberg as the head of state would be more advantageous for the CSSD.

Spidla said Zeman was harming CSSD he had chaired in the 1990s, but later left it.