MEP Josef Zieleniec to face Vaclav Klaus in presidential elections

Former foreign minister and current Member of the European Parliament Josef Zieliniec expressed his intetntions of facing the incumbent Vaclav Klaus in the presidential elections next year, the website tyden.cz reported on Monday. He will be nominated by a small liberal party known as the Association of Independent Candidates - European Democrats. The party is to issue an official statement on Tuesday.

Between 1992 and 1997, Josef Zieleniec was the Czech foreign minister in governments formed by the Civic Democrats. He later became both an MP and a Senator. In 2004, he was elected a Member of the European Parliament. Mr Zieliniec is another politician, after Jiri Dienstbier, who expressed his intentions to run for office in the presidential elections held in February next year.