Czech Republic holds presidential election

STORY: Czech Republic holds presidential election DATELINE: Jan. 14, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:07 LOCATION: Prague CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. Prague and Prague Castle 2. various of posters 3. the three main candidates for president Andrej Babis, Danuse Nerudova, and Petr Pavel 4. polling station at a school in the center of Prague 5. people casting vote STORYLINE: Voters in the Czech Republic went to the polls on Friday to elect a new head of state for the next 5 years to succeed incumbent President Milos Zeman. Voting started at 2:00 p.m. on Friday and will continue on Saturday. About 8.3 million citizens are reportedly eligible to vote. Voters will choose from a pool of eight candidates. They are: former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, 68; member of the Chamber of Deputies Jaroslav Basta, 74; Senators Pavel Fischer, 57, and Marek Hilser, 46; economist Danuse Nerudova, 44, the only female candidate; retired General Petr Pavel, 61; entrepreneur Karel Divis, 46; and former university Rector Tomas Zima, 56. Ba

Marek Hilser

Marek Hilser

***OCTOBER 23, 2018, FILE PHOTO*** Senator Marek Hilser, an unsuccessful presidential candidate from 2018, wants to run for Czech president in the next direct election in 2023 again, he announced today, on November 21, 2019. In the January 2018 election, he ended fifth out of nine candidates and thus did not advance to the runoff battle against Milos Zeman, who was finally re-elected for another five years. The constitution bars Zeman from seeking a third term as president. In 2023, Hilser wants to be a candidate independent of political parties again, he told journalists today. He said he plans to tour regions and start collecting people's signatures in support of his candidacy. (CTK Photo/Martin Sterba)

Marek Hilser

Marek Hilser

***OCTOBER 23, 2018, FILE PHOTO*** Senator Marek Hilser, an unsuccessful presidential candidate from 2018, wants to run for Czech president in the next direct election in 2023 again, he announced today, on November 21, 2019. In the January 2018 election, he ended fifth out of nine candidates and thus did not advance to the runoff battle against Milos Zeman, who was finally re-elected for another five years. The constitution bars Zeman from seeking a third term as president. In 2023, Hilser wants to be a candidate independent of political parties again, he told journalists today. He said he plans to tour regions and start collecting people's signatures in support of his candidacy. (CTK Photo/Martin Sterba)

Marek Hilser

Marek Hilser

***OCTOBER 23, 2018, FILE PHOTO*** Senator Marek Hilser, an unsuccessful presidential candidate from 2018, wants to run for Czech president in the next direct election in 2023 again, he announced today, on November 21, 2019. In the January 2018 election, he ended fifth out of nine candidates and thus did not advance to the runoff battle against Milos Zeman, who was finally re-elected for another five years. The constitution bars Zeman from seeking a third term as president. In 2023, Hilser wants to be a candidate independent of political parties again, he told journalists today. He said he plans to tour regions and start collecting people's signatures in support of his candidacy. (CTK Photo/Martin Sterba)

Marek Hilser

Marek Hilser

***OCTOBER 23, 2018, FILE PHOTO*** Senator Marek Hilser, an unsuccessful presidential candidate from 2018, wants to run for Czech president in the next direct election in 2023 again, he announced today, on November 21, 2019. In the January 2018 election, he ended fifth out of nine candidates and thus did not advance to the runoff battle against Milos Zeman, who was finally re-elected for another five years. The constitution bars Zeman from seeking a third term as president. In 2023, Hilser wants to be a candidate independent of political parties again, he told journalists today. He said he plans to tour regions and start collecting people's signatures in support of his candidacy. (CTK Photo/Martin Sterba)