2023 is the year for many key elections in the world. Some of the key elections are happening in Nigeria, Turkey, Argentina, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. This series will feature inside looks on key world elections as we progress through the year and the election days draw closer.
Part 1 of this global election series will talk about the Presidential election in the Czech Republic, which is going on as we speak. When it is over, I will add an update to this article, with a description of the results.
The Czech Republic uses a two-round plurality voting system for its Presidential elections, which means voters cast a vote for a singular candidate, and if no candidate gets 51% of the vote, then the top two candidates advance to a runoff.
This election features no incumbent candidate, as controversial President Milos Zeman is coming to the end of his 2nd five year term; first taking office in 2013. Zeman was a controversial President as he often pushed the limits of his constitutional power; creating concern from his critics that he is overreaching on what the President of the Czech Republic is allowed to do. This stems from the vague language of the Czech 1993 Constitution, which allows for leeway and wiggle room for Presidential powers (Cameron, 2023).
Now that Zeman’s time in office is coming to a close, eight candidates are attempting to take his place. Out of these candidates, three have emerged as the leaders to win the Presidency: Andrej Babiš, Petr Pavel, and Danuše Nerudová.
Andrej Babiš, billionaire and former prime minister of the Czech Republic, finished polling at 26.5 points (A LOESS). Babiš was recently acquitted of EU subsidy fraud, which has driven up his chances of winning if he progresses to the second round of the election. Babiš also faces struggles in his campaign due to his history as a member of the ŠtB, a communist secret police in Czechoslovakia (Tait, 2023).
Petr Pavel, a former NATO general, is running independent and polled at 29.5 before elections began (A LOESS). Pavel places a strong importance on maintaining western ties and supporting Ukraine against Russia. With this western favor, Pavel differs from Zeman and Babiš in his opinion of Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, in which Pavel has distanced himself. Additionally, Pavel favors transitioning from the Koruna and adopting the Euro as currency (Lopatka, 2023).
Danuše Nerudová is the only female candidate in this election, and at 44, is the youngest candidate as well. Nerudová is an economist, and promotes herself as the representative that will bring the Czech Republic into the future, and that she represents the Czech Republic that grew up in the post Cold War era. Before the election, A LOESS polled her at 21, coming in third behind Pavel and Babiš.
The first round of this election will conclude at 2 pm, Saturday Jan. 14. If no candidate wins the outright majority, then a runoff will be held approximately two weeks later.
Citations:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64246903
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/retired-general-ex-pm-lead-field-czech-presidential-election-2023-01-12/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/12/czech-republic-presidential-election-milos-zeman-populism
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/12/czech-republic-prepares-for-looming-presidential-election