Czech MEP announces candidacy for post of president

Czech MEP Zuzana Roithová is planning to run for the post of president as a candidate of the Christian Democrats. Mrs. Roithová officially announced her planned candidacy at a news conference on Thursday. The slogan of her campaign is ČLOVĚK, the Czech word for human, Roithová’s acronym for the pillars of her program, which she says focuses on human and Christian values, responsibility, and European integration. If the Christian Democrats’ party, which holds only five seats in the Senate, is not able to win senate members from other parties to support the MEP’s candidacy, Mrs. Roithová will need to secure 50,000 signatures from voters to be able to officially run for the post.

Mrs. Roithová has been involved in politics since 1998, when she became the health minister. Later, she was elected into the Czech Senate and joined the European Parliament in 2004. The next presidential elections will be held in 2013. For the first time, Czechs will be able to elect their president directly thanks to a recent change in law.

Author: Sarah Borufka