Charles University elects new rector on Friday, five candidates in the running

The Academic Senate of Charles University elects a new rector on Friday, choosing from five candidates. Incumbent rector and chair of the Czech Rectors Conference Milena Králíčková, who has led the university since 2022, is seeking re-election. Other contenders include analytical chemist and long-time dean of the Faculty of Science Jiří Zima, current vice-rector for research and creative activities Ladislav Krištoufek, kinanthropologist František Zahálka, and geochemist Martin Mihaljevič. The election is secret, and the winner must gain a majority of the 70-member senate. If no one succeeds in the first round, additional rounds will follow. The new rector’s four-year term will begin in February 2026 after being formally appointed by President Petr Pavel. Charles University, the country’s oldest and largest institution of higher learning, has 17 faculties and over 50,000 students.