Babiš, Nerudová likely secured support to run for president

ANO leader Andrej Babiš has secured his place in the upcoming January 2023 presidential election after collecting 56 signatures from his party’s deputies in the lower-house of Czech Parliament, the Czech News Agency reported on Wednesday citing ANO spokesman Martin Vodička. Mr Babiš is currently polling in second place for the position of Czech head of state.

The campaign team of the third placed candidate, economist Danuše Nerudová, announced earlier on Wednesday that it has handed over 82,000 signatures from members of the public supporting her bid to the Ministry of Interior.

In order to run for president, an eligible Czech citizen must collect at least 50,000 signatures from members of the public. Alternatively, 10 signatures from Senators or 20 signatures from members of the Chamber of Deputies are also sufficient.

Current front runner Petr Pavel managed to fulfil the necessary signature limit in October.