Prague, June 23 (CTK) – The Czech extra-parliamentary Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) may propose Vratislav Kulhanek, former head of the board of directors and later of the supervisory board of the Skoda car maker, as a presidential candidate, daily Lidove noviny (LN) writes today.
ODA leader Pavel Sehnal, owner of the SPGRoup, will announce the name of the new presidential candidate next week.
Sehnal told the paper he may still field other candidates, but he declined to disclose their names.
“We are interested in nominating our own candidate who would represent the right-wing part of voters. We are discussing this with Kulhanek,” Sehnal said.
“I have been proposed this. Now it is in the stage of a possible intention. I have not yet fully made the decision,” Kulhanek told the paper.
However, Kulhanek is already able to speak about his visions in detail, LN writes.
Businessman Kulhanek, 73, was head of the Skoda board of directors between 1997 and 2004 and head of its supervisory board between 2004 and 2007. Now he primarily works in consultancy.
Kulhanek also made his mark in sport, LN writes.
Between 2004 and 2008, he was chairman of the Czech Ice Hockey Association and also worked for the Czech Olympic Committee.
Five years ago, when food and media mogul Andrej Babis was founding the ANO, now the most popular party, he offered Kulhanek to run in the Senate election, but he refused this, LN writes.
“I am upset with the situation in the Czech Republic,” Kulhanek told the paper, citing the reasons of why he may enter the presidential contest.
“However, I cannot imagine joining any party because they are the real cause of the problem,” he added.
“Lack of professionalism is what I resent most. There are people on the political scene who spent all of their lives in politics and who live quite outside the real world,” Kulhanek said.
President Milos Zeman has already said he will defend the post in the election scheduled for next year.
He will be challenged by Jiri Drahos, 68, former head of the Czech Science Academy (CAV), Michal Horacek, 64, lyricist and businessman, and physician and activist Marek Hilser, 41.
