Andrej Babiš Announces He is Running for President in 2023

Andrej Babiš, former Prime Minister and leader of ANO, confirmed yesterday that he will run in the upcoming presidential election in January 2023.

Speaking to TV NOVA on Sunday evening Mr. Babiš said the government’s inaction at a time of crisis had led him to accept the challenge. He said he would ask the party leadership to officially support his candidacy on Monday.

General Petr Pavel would win the first round of the presidential election according to the latest election model from the Median agency.

Pavel is polling at 25.4% support, with Babis at 23.5%. Economist Danuse Nerudova follows in third, with 10%.

The poll also indicated that Pavel would win the second run-off round, with 59%.

Support for Pavel has been increasing over time, while support for Babis has been stagnating.

Respondents were asked which of two candidates they would prefer in the second round, in a variety of scenarios, and Babis would also lose against some other candidates.

However, Median stressed that many voters have not yet made their final decision, and so the final result could be different.

Senator Pavel Fischer stood at 8% in the poll, union leader Josef Stredula 7.5%, Senator Marek Hilser 5.5%, and Senator Miroslava Nemcova (ODS) 5.5%, even though she is not planning to run for president.

In order to qualify for the ballot, candidates must gather 50,000 signatures from citizens, or the support of twenty Deputies or ten Senators.

The candidates must file their applications and signatures 66 days before the election, following which the Interior Ministry will verify a sample of the signatures.