From Professor to Presidential Candidate and Back

On Thursday evening, Professor Jan Svejnar gave a presentation on his experiences as a presidential candidate of the Czech Republic. The professor gave a detailed account about his journey to becoming a candidate for his home country, the election, and the possible corruption that ultimately ended his run for presidency. His story begins with an informal invitation to run against the incumbent candidate of the Czech Republic in the July 2007. After months of weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the candidacy, he officially accepted his nomination on December 14, 2007.

Professor Svejnar is well qualified for the position. Along with being a Business Economics professor at the Ross School of Business, he has a broad history of working in public policy such as working for the World Bank and directing the international center of the Ford School of Public Policy. The election was undoubtedly a success for the professor, as in a two short months he garnered enough support to challenge the incumbent president. Although he lost the election, it required two separate sessions of voting to make the decision.

Surveys indicated that the public was in support of Svejnar over Klaus; but in the Czech Republic, the election is decided by the parliament and not by popular vote. The support of the public was evident throughout the election. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the campaign is the book the professor authored. With five meetings that were two hours each, the professor compiled a national best seller, only second to the seventh Harry Potter novel. Using a western style of campaigning, Professor Svejnar went around the nation meeting with the Cardinal, various councils, and numerous NGOs.

Along with the public support, he had the support of various political parties in the parliament. The Green party and the Communists, unofficially, had backed Professor Svejnar. It has been reported the election was full of corruption and may have caused Professor Svejnar's defeat in the final vote. During the final vote, there was one key voter from Svejnar's side absent from the parliament. Another key supporter of Svejnar's team suddenly changed his mind about his choice in the election. The significance of these voters was that Professor Svejnar lost by only one vote. The corruption in the election is not confirmed, and no action was taken against the other parties after the vote.
Although he lost the election to Vaclav Klaus, the professor stated that the experience was the worth the time and energy that was put forth. Perhaps if Professor Svejnar had a few more months of campaigning the outcome would have been different. By running in the election, Professor Svejnar gained an incomparable experience in his home country, became a bestselling author, and brought a Western style of campaigning to the Czech Republic.