Czech Republic President Milos Zeman on Monday backed the country’s billionaire and former prime minister Andrej Babis as his successor in office despite the legal problems he faces.
Zeman has indicated that he will vote in favor of Babis in the elections scheduled for January, as he has indicated in an interview to the daily ‘Pravo’. The 68-year-old candidate is the only one with political experience, as defended by Zeman, who said that «nobody wants to be operated by someone who has not studied medicine».
Babis, a billionaire businessman, was prime minister between 2017 and 2021, although he is now on trial for alleged corruption in the framework of a case of fraud of European Union funds.
The first round of the presidential election will take place during January 13-14. Under the current Constitution, presidents can only serve two terms in office.
A recent poll conducted by CNN television network shows that Babis would win 30.1 percent of the vote in the first round, followed by candidate Danuse Nerudova, who would get 26.5 percent.
The prosecution has accused Babis of taking a 50 million euro grant for one of his companies, money that would have been used in part for the construction of the Stork’s Nest farm, a recreational complex.
At the time, Babis was at the head of the Agrofert conglomerate, while the EU subsidies were intended for small and medium-sized companies. However, Agrofert proceeded to repay the subsidy.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
