Prague, May 21 (CTK) – Czech President Milos Zeman should not seek re-election in 2018, Marian Jurecka, first deputy chairman of the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and agriculture minister, said in the Questions of Vaclav Moravec programme on public Czech Television yesterday.
Jurecka said he does not mind Zeman’s health condition, but his statements and deeds.
Zeman, 72, suffers from diabetes and polyfunctional neuropathy impairing the sensitivity of his feet. He uses a walking stick.
Jurecka said he also minds the fact that Zeman’s chancellor Vratislav Mynar still keeps the post without a security vetting, or Zeman’s “jokes” about elimination of journalists he made in his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The KDU-CSL will discuss the possibility of fielding its own presidential candidate at its congress later this month, or at it already.
Party chairman Pavel Belobradek saidpreviosly he does not expect the congress to nominate anyone.
“Milos Zeman should not be running at all. Given his serious slips, I think that this country deserves a better president,” Jurecka said today.
He said he would be glad if former prime minister and Senate chairman Petr Pithart still reconsidered his possible candidature.
ANO deputy chairman and Environment Minister Richard Brabec said the movement has not yet made a decision on its possible presidential candidate even though ANO head Andrej Babis refuses to financially support Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky as a presidential candidate.
He said a referendum should be held within the movement and that a decision should be made during the summer holiday.
According to a Median poll for public Czech Radio, Zeman’s biggest rivals are lyricist and businessman Michal Horacek and Science Academy former chairman Jiri Drahos.
