January 13, 2013

(JTA)– Czech presidential candidate Jan Fischer was knocked out of the race, despite being considered a leading contender.

Fischer failed to reach the run-off election after voting on Saturday, in which he received 16.4 percent, coming in third in a field of nine candidates, according to the Times of Israel.

He had been favored to become the country’s first Jewish president.

Fischer served briefly as prime minister of the country, following the collapse of the government coalition in 2009.

Fischer, whose career highlights include running the Czech Statistical Office and serving as vice president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, slipped from first to second in the polls following a lackluster performance in a televised debate.

His father was a Holocaust survivor and his mother was Catholic.

The Czech Republic was one of only eight countries in the world to vote against upgrading the Palestinians’ status at the United Nations.
 

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