Václav Klaus re-elected as President of the Czech Republic

February 17, 2008

After a second election on Friday Václav Klaus, a center-right conservative, has been re-elected to a five-year term as President of the Czech Republic. He was one of three candidates, opposing Jan Švejnar and Jana Bobošíková. Needing 140 votes, his victory was narrow with 141 votes.

Klaus' chances to be re-elected were boosted when Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) senator Evžen Snítilý announced he would vote for Klaus prior to the session. Snítilý had left the voting session in the third round of the first attempt on February 9, and he is reportedly suffering from threats and blackmail.

Between the debate and the first voting round Bobošíková withdrew her candidacy, citing a lack of support for her.