Final Word from Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Unless Petr Fiala decides at the last minute to throw his hat into the ring, the slate of leading presidential candidates is already decided. Constitutional lawyer Jan Kysela said in April that Fiala shouldn't run for president. It's enough for the president not to do harm, he said, and it's not necessary for the post to be occupied by someone who is doing a good job in the more important role of PM. Kysela said this on a Czech Radio podcast, Čekání na prezidenta, that was apparently developed mainly as a way to prevent Andrej Babiš from becoming president. As one of the main hosts of the podcast, Kysela has gradually transformed from a nonpartisan constitutional lawyer into a biased political commentator. The next president will nominate successors to almost all of the justices of the Constitutional Court, including the chief justice, and Kysela would apparently like to become the Court's main voice after Chief Justice Pavel Rychetský retires. Under Babiš, Kysela would have no chance whatsoever. [ Czech Republic prime minister Waiting for the President ]
Glossary of difficult words
to throw/toss one's hat in/into the ring - to announce one's intention to enter a competition or election;
slate - a list of candidates for election to a post or office;
Čekání na prezidenta - Waiting for the President (Kysela's comments start at about the 3m mark);
nonpartisan - not biased or partisan, esp. towards any particular political group.