Civic Democrat presidential candidate Vaclav Klaus sets out his vision of Czech presidency

Next Friday, the third attempt to elect a new Czech president will take place. If that vote again fails to produce a new head of state, parliament will start a debate on changing the method of election to direct vote. So far the only official presidential candidate is former prime minister Vaclav Klaus who says he is also prepared to run if a popular vote is introduced. Radio Prague's Pavla Horakova spoke to Vaclav Klaus and she began by asking him whether changing the method of electing a president would be the best solution.

"First, I would say that for me now, ten days before the elections, the popular vote in an unknown, hypothetical future is a non-relevant issue. I may start thinking about it in two weeks from now but today it is not the issue. It seems to me that our task now is to try to elect a president by the method which was used for 85 years in this country and I hope the method will be successful this time."

How do you define the role of the President? I am asking because for the last ten or thirteen years the role was more or less defined by the personality of Vaclav Havel.

"It was a very special personality and a very special moment. I hope we return to a normal presidency which is not the result of a revolution or a total system exchange of a country. So in this respect, the follower of Vaclav Havel will be definitely a normal president, whatever this adjective means. We need to put the president among normal people, not to keep him so untouchable somewhere in the beautiful Prague Castle. So in this respect, to return [the presidential office] to citizenry would be definitely one of my ambitions."

To hear the whole of that special interview with presidential candidate Vaclav Klaus tune in to Radio Prague Monday, February 24.