Woman Running for President? Economist Danuše Nerudová Declares Her Candidacy

Economist and former Rector of Brno’s Mendel University Danuše Nerudová has announced her candidacy for president.

“I do so after considering all the pros and cons and with all seriousness. We need a head of state who has the ability and energy to stand on the side of the people in economically difficult times. We all deserve hope for better times,” Nerudová said on Twitter on Tuesday.

Nerudová, who is 43, will start to collect the 50,000 signatures needed to officially register as a candidate.

She highlights that, as a respected economist, it can help bring the Czech Republic out of the economic crisis. At the same time, she wants to improve the situation of the poorest. “I believe in a state where everyone, from young people to seniors, has the hope of a decent life,” said Nerudová.

Czechs will be voting for the future head of state in a direct election at the beginning of next year. Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Petr Pavel, a former high-ranking Czech army and NATO official are regarded as the favorites, but they have not yet officially announced their candidacies.

Earlier in May, trade union leader Josef Středula also began collecting the signatures needed to run for president.

Danuše Nerudová was born in Brno in 1979 into a family of computer technicians. She is the eldest of four siblings.

Her expertise is in the field of international taxation and tax policy. She has contributed and led numerous projects analyzing the impact of tax harmonization on the Czech Republic or the European Union.

Her research primarily focuses on tax harmonization especially in the field of direct taxation, possibilities of financial sector taxation and on taxes as the revenues of national and EU budgets.

Since 2002, Nerudová has been married to Robert Neruda, lawyer and co-owner of the law firm Havel & Partners.

At the beginning of February 2018, she became the first woman in history to head Mendel University in Brno and at the same time the youngest rector in the Czech Republic. She held the position until the end of January 2022.