2013 Czech presidential election

Czech presidential election, 2013

← 2008 11–12 January 2013 (first round) 25–26 January 2013 (second round) 2018 →
Turnout	59.11%
Nominee Miloš Zeman Karel Schwarzenberg Party SPOZ TOP 09 Popular vote 2,717,405 2,241,171 Percentage 54.8% 45.2%
The highest number of votes in the districts of the Czech Republic in the second round of the election (blue Karel Schwarzenberg, red Miloš Zeman)
President before election Václav Klaus Independent Elected President Miloš Zeman SPOZ

Václav Klaus
Independent

Miloš Zeman
SPOZ

The first direct presidential election in the Czech Republic was held on 11–12 January 2013. No candidate received a majority of the votes in the first round, so a second round runoff election was held on 25–26 January. Nine individuals secured enough popular signatures or support of parliamentarians to become official candidates for the office. Miloš Zeman (SPOZ) and Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09) qualified for the second round of the election.

On 26 January 2013, Miloš Zeman won the second round of the election and was elected the next president of the Czech Republic. He won 54.8% of the second-round vote, compared to Schwarzenberg's 45.2%. He assumed office in March 2013 after being sworn in.

Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and the adoption of a new constitution in 1992, the office of president has been filled by votes by a joint session of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Czech Republic. The possibility of a directly elected President has been controversial because of concerns that it could weaken a government under the Prime Minister. The 2008 presidential election, which narrowly reelected Václav Klaus after several attempts, however was criticized for the appearance of political deal-making and allegations of corruption. Prime Minister Petr Nečas subsequently put the issue of a directly elected President in his three-party coalition agreement when he formed his government in 2010, in part because of demands by the TOP 09 party, and the Public Affairs and Mayors and Independents parties. Several outspoken opponents of the change however came from the Prime Minister's own Civic Democratic Party.