Czech elections: Klaus by acclaim?

President Vaclav Klaus is up for election for a second five-year term on Friday. Czechs either love him or hate him. He delights in combating received opinion -- for instance, on climate change -- and is a leading Euro-sceptic. However, the vote will not be straightforward.

Klaus is standing against Czech-American émigré Jan Svejnar, who teaches economics at the University of Michigan. Some 57% of Czechs would vote for Klaus. However, it is parliament that elects the president, and that introduces an element of horse-trading.

The successful candidate needs a majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. If no winner emerges, a second round takes place within a fortnight. If that too is inconclusive, a third round is held in which the votes of both houses are aggregated. The rules are framed for a field of candidates; since there are only two, a third round seems unlikely, although the Communists may try to engineer one and then abstain, in order not to be seen helping re-elect Klaus.

The vote may be by acclamation or secret ballot -- the rules do not specify and the procedure may be decided on the day. By making it obvious which parties backed which candidates, acclamation might work against behind-the-scenes deals. However, so too might a secret ballot, by making it harder to maintain party discipline.

The Civic Democrats (ODS) nominated Klaus, its former chairman. It is the largest party in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, so that Klaus has fewer to win over from other parties. However, in a secret ballot, ODS dissidents might break ranks. The Greens, who are not even in the Senate, and the Social Democrats back Svejnar, who has been canvassing widely among parliamentarians, with mixed success.

The president exercises little power and a vote for Klaus would mean no change. Much more interesting -- but also less likely -- would be his defeat. Failure to deliver the vote would damage Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, who has rivals within the ODS and has a slim majority in the Chamber of Deputies. Klaus, a former premier and ODS chairman, could return to 'real' politics if he lost the symbolic role of president.