Prague, June 4 (CTK) – A number of personalities, whose names are mentioned in connection with their possible presidential candidature play a special game with the public, often behaving bashfully instead of clearly saying they want to seek the top position in the country, Jiri Pehe writes in Pravo Saturday.
He writes that some say they would seriously consider their candidature if the situation really demanded this. This was said the most recently by Czech-American economist Jan Svejnar.
Sejnar told the media that he would be ready to stand up to Milos Zeman in 2018 if the reorientating of the country eastwards continued and if the democratic principles were trampled on, Pehe writes.
Zeman is blamed by many for maintaining close relations with Russia and China.
Pehe writes that a similar attitude is also encoded less visibly in the “Kromeriz Call” which has the ambition to look for new suitable presidential candidates in civic society.
However, Pehe writes, suitable candidates should not be sought, they should be visible at first sight and they should be people who really want to be the president and who work on their candidature actively by themselves.
This applies not only to candidates from civic society, but also to political parties’ nominees, Pehe writes.
He writes that some prominent personalities even say seriously that they do not want to run, but that if one or another personality whom they do not consider suitable for the presidency ran, they would give it a try.
But “safeguarding” the nation against another possible president is not a sufficient reason for running in the election and in addition, it sounds haughtily. “I could easily let myself be elected president, but I will gladly leave it to someone less important if they are to ‘my liking,'” Pehe writes.
He writes that it is possible to criticise Zeman for many things. But it is sure that he has approached the candidature in the sole possible way. He was long saying that if the direct election is enacted, he will run. And he kept his promise wwen it was passed and he won (in 2013), Pehe writes.
If he seeks re-election in 2018, only a candidate who will show from the very beginning that they are interested in the post, will not make evasive statements and will not wait until mid-2017 when it would be too late to launch a well organised campaign can beat him, Pehe writes.
