Prague, Nov 24 (CTK) – Czech presidential candidate Michal Horacek welcomes the broad spectrum of candidates in the upcoming election, he told journalists during the opening of his campaign’s contact centre on Friday.
The Interior Ministry officially confirmed on Friday there were nine candidates eligible for the election.
Horacek is among those candidates who collected citizen’s signatures to support their candidacy. He accumulated 89,000 signatures.
A presidential candidate had to win support from either at least 50,000 people, 20 lower house members or 10 senators.
“I run in the election because I offer complete independence,” said Horacek, a rich businessman and lyricist.
According to Horacek, people can choose between candidates who have links to influential figures and financial groups or those who do not have such associations.
He plans to continue meeting people in all parts of the country and engaging in debates with his opponents in the run, which he sees an important element in it.
Czech President Milos Zeman announced beforehand that he would not participate in debates.
“I think not too many people who respect the rules would appreciate Zeman’s attitude,” Horacek said.
“The president must be physically and mentally fit. He must participate in the debates because it undermines their purpose and it basically goes against their meaning and, in fact, against the interest of the citizens,” he said.
Horacek announced his candidacy in November 2016. His campaign’s motto is “strong people, proud country”.
He said he appreciated the personalities of people outside of Prague which can be inspiring for the whole nation.
He said if he had been in position to decorate someone, it would be someone from the Czech regions as there are many people who did great work for the local communities.
