Dolejš: Communists against Klaus but not necessarily for Švejnar

The Communists want to prevent the re-election of Václav Klaus as president, though they have not yet decided whether to back his opponent Jan Švejnar, the party’s deputy leader Jiří Dolejš said on Sunday. The Communist Party is the third biggest force in the Czech Parliament and their votes, alongside those of the Christian Democrats, will play a key role in the election due on February 8. Communist leaders have previously suggested they may vote for Mr Švejnar in the first round before putting forward a candidate of their own in the next round. Mr Klaus is a former prime minister and the founder of the Civic Democrats, while Mr Švejnar has spent most of his life in the US, where he is a professor of economics.