Prague, March 14 (CTK) – About thousand supporters of Czech President Milos Zeman, including businesspeople, politicians and artists, attended a concert he staged at Prague Castle as thanks to his friends and fans on Wednesday, a week after his inauguration for the second five-year term.
In an opening address, Zeman thanked his supporters and also the voters who did not take part in the January 12-13 first round of the presidential election but cast their ballots in the runoff vote two weeks later, thereby contributing to his re-election.
In the runoff on January 26-27, Zeman defeated former Science Academy head Jiri Drahos.
Zeman said it was more difficult to win the presidential race this year than five years ago, when he became president for the first time. Unlike this year, a part of the unsuccessful rival candidates and the Social Democratic Party (CSSD) backed him before the runoff in 2013.
“The battle is over and we won it. All of us won,” Zeman said, adding that it would amount to haughtiness and vanity if he asserted that it was a victory of only his and a narrow group of people around him.
Many thousands of people won it, without whose support the battle would have been won by others, Zeman said.
He told his fans that they do not have to fear what the future may bring about. “The future is ours for the five years to follow,” he said.
The guests included Petr Hannig, an unsuccessful candidate for president who supported Zeman before the presidential run-off, Czech wartime military pilot General Pavel Vransky, former Energy Regulatory Office chairwoman Alena Vitaskova and former transport minister in the Zeman-led cabinet in 1998-2002, Jaromir Schling.
The programme of the concert consisted of pop music and classical music works.
