Daily: Social Democrats wanted Rychetský for president

The country’s largest opposition party, the Social Democrats, originally wanted to back Constitutional Court chairman and former justice minister Pavel Rychetský for president, Czech daily Lidové noviny has reported. A party insider told the newspaper that Mr Rychetský was to have been the party’s trump card in the upcoming race. The Social Democrats, under party leader Jiří Paroubek, opted to back Czech-American economist Jan Švejnar instead. Mr Švejnar has also backed by the Greens. That decision garnered criticism from former party leader - and former prime minister - Miloš Zeman this week. He criticised the party for backing the economist as opposed to fielding their own candidate. Mr Švejnar is generally viewed as being more on the political right than leftist parties might traditionally support.