2018 Czech presidential election, Background
Former Prime Minister Miloš Zeman was elected as President of the Czech Republic in 2013, defeating Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberg in the country's first direct presidential elections. Until 2012, all presidential elections in the Czech Republic were indirect, with the president being chosen by the Parliament of the Czech Republic.


2018 Czech presidential election, Background
According to polls conducted in 2016, Zeman was the front-runner and his chances of re-election were considered high, although it was speculated that Zeman's candidacy would be determined by his health. Zeman announced his candidacy on 9 March 2017. There was speculation that both the Social Democrats (ČSSD) and ANO 2011 may endorse Zeman, but neither party did in the end. Some commentators speculated that Zeman could be elected in the first round.


2018 Czech presidential election, Background
On 23 August 2017, the Speaker of the Senate announced that the first round would be held on 12 and 13 January 2018, with a second round being held on 26 and 27 January 2018, if required. The deadline for nominating candidates was scheduled for 7 November 2017.


2018 Czech presidential election, Candidates
In order to qualify for the ballot, candidates must gather 50,000 signatures from citizens, or the support of twenty Deputies or ten Senators. The candidates must file their applications and signatures 66 days before the election, following which the Interior Ministry will verify a sample of the signatures.


2018 Czech presidential election, Candidates
19 candidates submitted themselves as candidates. Only nine of them met requirements for registration and became official candidates: Jiří Drahoš, Pavel Fischer, Petr Hannig, Marek Hilšer, Michal Horáček, Jiří Hynek, Vratislav Kulhánek, Mirek Topolánek and Miloš Zeman.


2018 Czech presidential election, Candidates, Official candidates
Nine candidates gathered the required number of signatures and had their candidacy approved by the Ministry of the Interior. Candidates are listed according to number allocated by the Ministry.


2018 Czech presidential election, Party endorsements
Unlike the presidential election in 2013, no major political parties nominated an official candidate. This was attributed to the increasing distrust of political parties among voters. The established major political parties, such as ČSSD, ODS, TOP 09, and KDU-ČSL, were reluctant to risk being defeated in the presidential election, while the protest parties, SPD and ANO, were broadly supportive of Zeman. Opposition parties were also wary of official endorsements of other candidates. In contrast, marginal parties such as Suverenita, Pravý blok, DSSS, and SPOZ nominated candidates to become more visible.


2018 Czech presidential election, Party endorsements
In the first round, Jiří Drahoš ran with the support of the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party and Mayors and Independents. Miloš Zeman ran with the support of Freedom and Direct Democracy and the Party of Civic Rights (SPO). On the day before the vote, ANO 2011 leader Andrej Babiš also endorsed Zeman. In addition, Topolánek was endorsed by centre-right ODS and the Freeholder Party.


2018 Czech presidential election, Party endorsements
Parties which did not issue any official endorsement included the Party of Free Citizens (Svobodní), TOP 09, the Green Party, the Moravians party, the Communist Party, and the Czech Pirate Party, though several individual politicians endorsed candidates privately. The Social Democrats experienced an internal split over which candidate to endorse, leading to no official party endorsement, but different groups within the party endorsing either Zeman, or Drahoš.


2018 Czech presidential election, Party endorsements
In the second round, Drahoš received further endorsements from ODS and TOP 09.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, Early campaign
Senator Zdeněk Škromach was the first candidate to announce his intention to run, in 2015. In response, Tomáš Halík announced that he would run for president if Škromach did. This led former president Václav Klaus to announce that he would run against Halík if he was running without a strong rival. Škromach, Halík and Klaus all finally declined to run.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, Early campaign
On 21 May 2016, former minister Michael Kocáb issued the "Kroměříž Proclamation", with the intention of finding a strong candidate to run against Zeman. Kocáb suggested Michal Horáček, who declined the movement's support but did not rule out running. Horáček mentioned his possible candidacy in April 2016 and some polls indicated that he would be the strongest possible contender to Zeman.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, Early campaign
Marek Hilšer launched his campaign in July 2016, with the slogan: "Marek to the Castle." He said he would finance his presidential campaign through a transparent account. Hilšer has negative opinions of Russia and China, and also supports helping immigrants.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, Early campaign
Michal Horáček officially launched his campaign on 3 November 2016. A week earlier he had moderated a meeting at Old Town Square, which was considered to be the actual start of his campaign as it was meant to coincide with official celebrations of Czech Statehood Day. Horáček stated that he wanted his campaign to be based on respect for all people and all opinions. He also said that he believed he could win in the first round. TOP 09, STAN and KDU-ČSL were considering supporting Horáček before his campaign started, but none of them did in the end. Horáček also entered into a dispute with TOP 09.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, Early campaign
On 21 December 2016, Institute for Democracy 21 launched an interactive web game to choose a presidential candidate. Everyone who voted was allowed to cast three positive votes and one negative vote. Jiří Pánek started as the winning candidate, despite having ruled himself out of running. As of April 2017, Jiří Drahoš is leading the game.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, Early campaign
It was reported in January 2017 that Czech political parties had decided to cease preparations for the election until Zeman announced whether he was seeking re-election. Zeman discussed his possible candidacy with close colleagues on 31 January. One of them stated that Zeman was likely to run for re-election, and would announce his decision on 9 March 2017.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, Early campaign
On 9 February 2017 Horáček announced his team of his advisers, including Magda Vášáryová, Dana Drábová and Pavel Pefko. In response, Zeman said that Horáček "never says what he thinks. His advisers will talk instead of him." Zeman attended the SPO Congress on 11 February 2017, at which SPO leader Jan Veleba assured Zeman that the party would support his reelection campaign if he decided to run. Zeman visited hospital for a preventive examination after the congress.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, Early campaign
On 9 March, the Kroměříž Proclamation started gathering signatures for Marek Hilšer and Petr Kolář.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, March 2017
Zeman announced his candidacy on 9 March during a meeting with his supporters, and confirmed his decision the next day in a press conference, saying that he had been persuaded by the support of the people. He commented that he did not consider himself the favourite in the election, and also said he would not run a political campaign, attack his rivals, or participate in debates, but would gather the 50,000 signatures required to qualify for the presidential ballot. He also announced that he would appear in a television programme called A week with the President. Michal Horáček criticised Zeman's decision not to participate in presidential debates.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, March 2017
On 13 March, Karel Štogl, a former member of ČSSD who still has links with the party, announced his intention to run and began seeking parliamentary support for his nomination.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, March 2017
Jiří Drahoš, former President of the Czech Academy of Sciences, announced his candidacy on 28 March 2017. Drahoš said he did not want to be the official candidate of any party, but some party leaders expressed their intention to endorse him. Petr Gazdík, the leader of Mayors and Independents, described Drahoš as a great candidate and rival to Zeman, and said he believed he could convince his party to support Drahoš. The leaders of TOP 09 and KDU-ČSL also said they were considering supporting him.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, March 2017
ODS leader Petr Fiala refused to comment on Drahoš's candidacy but acknowledged him to be a dignified candidate. Leader of ANO 2011 Andrej Babiš said that he considered Drahoš a respectable person but noted that Drahoš did not want the support of any party. In response to the announcement, Zeman's spokesman Jiří Ovčáček described Drahoš as "just a product of PR". He added that in his view the Czech Republic needed "a president who will stand by people in situations such as the migration crisis", not just "a yes man who can deliver empty speeches".


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, March 2017
Michal Horáček said that Drahoš would be a candidate of political parties and would have to return their support. Drahoš met journalists at the National Technical Library on 30 March 2017. He described himself as an independent candidate who supports the European Union and NATO, and also stated that he would reject a government that included the Communist Party. He also announced plans to gather 50,000 signatures instead of being nominated by lawmakers.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, April 2017
On 16 April 2017, Michal Horáček started gathering signatures, saying that he believed he could collect the required number within a matter of weeks.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, April 2017
The Party of Civic Rights (SPO) began Zeman's presidential campaign, under the slogan "Zeman again!" The campaign included some of Zeman's close colleagues, though Zeman himself had stated that he would not campaign. First lady Ivana Zemanová was named head of Zeman's campaign team. SPO started gathering signatures on 24 April 2017.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, April 2017
Jiří Drahoš also started gathering signatures on 24 April 2017, with approximately 500 volunteers. Drahoš also announced that his spokeswoman would be Lenka Pastorčáková, a journalist for Czech Television.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, May 2017
On 6 May 2017, Horáček announced that he had gathered between 47,000 and 52,000 signatures, with the help of 2,500 supporters. By the same day Marek Hilšer had reached 2,000 signatures.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, May 2017
Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka announced on 16 May 2017 that ČSSD would most likely nominate its own candidate for the election instead of supporting Zeman, due to his actions during the government crisis in May 2017. Zeman's spokesman Jiří Ovčáček responded that this was not a surprise because Sobotka had always been lobbying to prevent Zeman's re-election. According to some ČSSD sources, the purpose of fielding a ČSSD candidate would not be to win the election but to weaken Zeman.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, May 2017
Some political scientists speculated that Zeman's actions during the crisis could discourage voters from voting him and damage his chances for reelection. On 25 May 2017, Sobotka mentioned Minister of Foreign Affairs Lubomír Zaorálek and Senate Speaker Milan Štěch as possible candidates, adding that ČSSD may decide on a candidate in Summer 2017. Opinion polls conducted after the crisis by Median indicated that Zeman's ratings had dropped by 2%. The same poll also showed Drahoš as Zeman's main rival.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, May 2017
In May 2017, during a visit to China, Miloš Zeman was visibly tired and required assistance from his security detail to walk. His spokesman Jiří Ovčáček attributed this to his demanding program, including ten days of work without any time to rest. His tiredness was also visible at the subsequent NATO summit, when Zeman was absent for speeches by political leaders such as Donald Trump, Jens Stoltenberg, and Angela Merkel, during which he would have been required to stand. These events revived speculation about Zeman's health, with some commentators speculating that Zeman may withdraw from the election. Zeman's doctors said that his program was too exhausting and recommended that Zeman rest for one or two weeks. Zeman adjusted his program as a result.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, May 2017
On 26 May 2017, Jiří Drahoš launched his campaign at a meeting in Opava. He visited employees of a local factory and some retirement homes. On 30 May Drahoš was endorsed by Miroslav Kalousek, leader of TOP 09, though the party itself did not officially endorse him. Drahoš was expected to receive the support of the Populars and Mayors coalition (KDU-ČSL and Mayors and Independents).


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, June 2017
On 1 June 2017, Horáček's spokesman Jiří Táborský announced that Horáček had collected the required number of signatures to stand in the election, but would keep collecting. At the same time Zeman had collected 18,000 signatures, Drahoš had collected 20,000, and Marek Hilšer had collected 5,000. Horáček had been collecting signatures at a rate of 1,000 per day, Zeman and Drahoš at 500 per day, and Hilšer at 160 per day. Horáček had 448 signing posts, Zeman 223, Drahoš 230 and Hilšer 14. By 5 June 2017, Drahoš had gathered 25,000 signatures. On 10 June 2017, Karel Štogl announced that he had the support of ten senators, including ČSSD senator Jan Hajda. Hajda refused to comment on Štogl's statement.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, June 2017
On 26 June 2017, Horáček announced his intention to gather signatures for Drahoš and Hilšer, in order to "make the democratic environment better". Drahoš, who had gathered 30,000 signatures to that point, refused Horáček's help, while Hilšer accepted it.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, June 2017
Vratislav Kulhánek announced his candidacy on 29 June 2017, as the candidate of the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA), which would collect signatures on his behalf. ODA leader Pavel Sehnal said that Kulhánek was a right-wing candidate, which was something missing in the election. Zeman said that he did not know Kulhánek well but remembered him as a successful manager of Škoda Auto, adding that he had no problem with Kulhánek's candidacy because he believed that it was better to have more candidates.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, July 2017
On 1 July 2017, Horáček started working with Ewig Public Relations agency, to help with his campaign. On 4 July, the leaders of KDU-ČSL and STAN announced that they would recommend that their parties support Jiří Drahoš. Petr Hannig, leader of far-right party Rozumní, announced his candidacy on 19 July 2017. He was endorsed by other far-right parties such as National Democracy. Hannig said that he wanted to continue with Zeman's policies but behave differently.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, July 2017
By 20 July 2017, Horáček had gathered 65,000 signatures, Zeman 43,000 signatures, Drahoš 35,000 signatures, Hilšer 10,000 signatures (not including signatures gathered by Horáček) and Kulhánek 5,000 signatures. Another prospective candidate, Jaroslav Kubera, had gathered the signatures of 15 Senators, enabling him to be nominated if he decided to run.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, August 2017
On 10 August, SPO leader Jan Veleba announced that Zeman had enough signatures to stand in the election. Hilšer had 15,000 signatures at that point, and Drahoš stated that he would reach the required number of signatures sometime in August or September 2017. On 16 August, Ivana Zemanová announced that Zeman had collected 59,263 signatures. Drahoš had at the time over 40,000 signatures. On 19 August 2017, Drahoš announced he had collected 78,321 signatures.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, August 2017
On 21 August, the Realists announced Jiří Hynek as their candidate. The party started to gather signatures for his candidacy, and also to ask MPs for support. Hynek said that some MPs had already promised to support him.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, August 2017
On 24 August, Zeman appeared in public for the first time in two months, to launch the Agrosalon Earth Breadwinner. His spokesman Ovčáček told journalists that Zeman's health was not a problem. Zeman criticized EU subsidies for decreasing milk production, which he described as an "atrocity".


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, August 2017
On 30 August, Businessman Vladimír Boštík announced his candidacy, saying that he had already gathered 63,000 signatures. His campaign motto was "A boy from a village wants to conquer Prague Castle.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, September 2017
On 24 September, Drahoš announced he had gathered 100,000 signatures. Horáček had 80,000 signatures and Hilšer 30,000 signatures. Kulhánek announced that he did not have enough signatures and started to seek support from MPs.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, October 2017
On 4 October, Pavel Fischer announced his candidacy, adding that he had gathered the signatures of 10 senators, allowing him to run. Fischer announced his candidacy on Václav Havel's birthday, and said that he would like to be a president similar to Havel. On 10 October, Drahoš called on the incoming government to draw up a plan for the adoption of the Euro currency.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, October 2017
On 13 October, Drahoš announced that he would stop gathering new signatures; by 15 October he had gathered 110,000 signatures. However, he continued collecting for almost a month longer. On 17 October Jiří Hynek announced that he had submitted his nomination with the signatures of 22 MPs. Hynek said that he had gathered 15,000 signatures from the public, but he had started gathering them too late. On 18 October Kulhánek announced that he had been nominated by 23 MPs, and submitted his nomination on the same day. By 26 October, Petr Hannig had received the support of 20 MPs. Mayors and Independents endorsed Drahoš on 31 October, and called for other parties to do the same.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, November 2017
Terezie Holovská announced her candidacy on 2 November, asking 44 female MPs for nomination. Marek Hilšer announced he had received nominations from 11 senators. Drahoš submitted his nomination on 3 November, with 142,000 signatures.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, November 2017
On 4 November, media started to speculate that former Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek could run for the office. Some media reported that Topolánek had asked Senators of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) for support and also discussed his candidacy with the leader of the party. On 5 November, Topolánek confirmed his candidacy, stating that he was seeking the support of Senators from all parties. Some Civic Democrat politicians endorsed his candidacy. Leader of ANO 2011 Andrej Babiš attacked Topolánek, describing him as the most corrupt Czech Prime Minister.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, November 2017
Topolánek's candidacy was also criticised by Jiří Drahoš, who commented that Topolánek represented the same thing as Zeman - rudeness and lack of respect for his opponents. He called Topolánek's candidacy a "bad joke". By 6 November Topolánek had gathered enough signatures to run. ODS endorsed Topolánek on the same day. Some media commentators and political scientists predicted that he could become the main rival to Zeman. Topolánek quickly became the third strongest candidate, overtaking Michal Horáček in opinion polls.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign before nominations, November 2017
On 6 November, Zeman submitted his nomination, with 113,038 signatures. Zeman denied speculation about his health and refused to comment on his rivals.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Nominations closed
Nominations were closed on 7 November 2017. 19 candidates submitted their nominations in time, but on 10 November the Interior Ministry announced that only nine candidates met the requirements for the nomination: Miloš Zeman, Jiří Drahoš, Mirek Topolánek, Michal Horáček, Vratislav Kulhánek, Jiří Hynek, Petr Hannig, Pavel Fischer and Marek Hilšer. The other candidates were disqualified for not meeting the nomination requirements.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Nominations closed
Mirek Topolánek held a press conference on 7 November after nominations were closed, saying that he wanted to be a "strong, democratic and political candidate", adding that he had been motivated to stand by Zeman's meeting with Andrej Babiš in Lány. He stated that "Zeman should go down in history as the Prime Minister who brought the Czech Republic into NATO rather than as a president who violated constitutional conventions". Topolánek also introduced his team, consisting of Dana Makrlíková, Gabriela Kloudová, Dalibor Veřmiřovský and Edvard Kožušník. Public relations expert Jakub Horák joined Topolánek's team on 9 November 2017. Horák had managed the successful campaign for the Pirate Party in the October 2017 legislative election.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Nominations closed
After the nominations were closed, some constitutional lawyers noted that some Senators and MPs had nominated more than one candidate, which could be against the law. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had interpreted the law as allowing legislators to support more than one candidate, and published this interpretation online, which candidates and Senators then followed. Candidates at risk from the mistake by the Ministry included Topolánek, Hannig and Hynek. Jan Kysela commented that he doubted the court would disqualify these candidates, because they would be punishing them for a mistake that was made by someone else.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Nominations closed
On 14 November, KDU-ČSL endorsed Drahoš. Some candidates appeared at the Festival of Freedom on 17 November to commemorate the Velvet Revolution. Drahoš, Hilšer and Fischer all made speeches, but organisers refused to allow Topolánek or Michal Horáček to take part, stating that they wanted to give a platform to candidates who were in accordance with the values of 17 November. This angered Horáček, who had been a direct participant in the events of 17 November 1989.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Nominations closed
Terezie Holovská filed a lawsuit against the candidacies of Hannig, Hilšer, Hynek, Kulhánek and Topolánek, arguing that they should be disqualified because some MPs and Senators had nominated more than one candidate. Holovská had previously sought nomination from MPs but failed to attract sufficient nominations and was disqualified.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Nominations closed
Pavel Fischer launched his campaign on 30 November, with the slogan "I know how to do it". Fischer said he wanted to return the Czech Republic to the world map. Topolánek also launched his campaign on the same day, criticising Zeman's policies and calling for an active role in NATO and the EU. He said that "the Czech Republic needs someone who knows how to play hard". Topolánek rejected migrant quotas and adoption of the Euro, though he stated that there was no alternative to the European Union.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, December 2017
On 1 December, Drahoš expressed fears that Russia could influence the election, and met Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka to discuss the matter. He also expressed his belief that Russia influenced the 2017 legislative election. The Security Information Service (BIS) released a statement dismissing Drahoš' claims. Zeman criticised Drahoš for spreading "conspiracy theories". Topolánek commented that Drahoš had shown he did not know much about politics, and called for a televised debate between him and Drahoš, as that couldn't be manipulated by foreign propaganda. On 9 December, Zeman appeared at a Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) conference and received indirect support from the party.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, December 2017
On 13 December, the Supreme Administrative Court rejected Holovská's lawsuit. The court confirmed that MPs and Senators could sign only one candidacy, but ruled that all candidates could participate in the election.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, December 2017
Horáček attacked the nomination of Communist MP Zdeněk Ondráček to head the Permanent Commission of the Chamber of Deputies of oversight over the General Inspection of Security Forces. Ondráček had been a member of the Communist police that attacked demonstrators in 1989. This led Horáček into a Twitter exchange with Topolánek, who also disagreed with Ondráček's nomination but described Horáček's comments as "a theatre". He noted that Ondráček used to be a member of a permanent commission with oversight over the BIS, which was more serious but had received no comment from Horáček.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, December 2017
Horáček said that he was running to change things and attacked Topolánek for his past and for his links with former co-worker Marek Dalík. He also noted that Topolánek had attended the birthday party of Zeman's aide Martin Nejedlý. Topolánek called Horáček's argument "pathetic", and mentioned Horáček's involvement in the gambling business. Ondráček was elected on 19 December.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, December 2017
Drahoš and Topolánek started attacking each other during December. Drahoš accused Topolánek's government of under-funding the Czech Academy of Sciences. Topolánek responded that the Academy had 6 billions CZK during his government and cuts for its finances came after he left office. For his part, Topolánek attacked Drahoš over his statement that he would appoint a cabinet supported by the Communists and SPD, describing this as a U-turn, as Drahoš had previously stated the opposite.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, December 2017
On 15 December, Pavel Fischer criticised Zeman for not participating in presidential debates. He sent him a public letter and wanted to meet with him for a head-to-head debate. He also said Zeman's presidential campaign was a "hybrid campaign", as though Zeman had stated that he wouldn't campaign, billboards promoting Zeman's campaign had appeared all over the country. Zeman's spokesman Ovčáček called Fischer "desperate". Fischer himself attracted controversy on 16 December when he stated that he would not appoint a homosexual as a judge to the Constitutional Court. He later apologised for his statement.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, December 2017
On 20 December, Drahoš' team published a post on social media about Václav Klaus's amnesty, which was criticised when it was revealed that Drahoš' team had copied a similar post by Horáček. Drahoš apologised and attributed the mistake to an external creative. Horáček commented that it was not the first time Drahoš had copied his campaign.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, January 2018
In January, Czech Television started to broadcast spots of all candidates, except Zeman's who refused to make one. Marek Hilšer attacked Zeman for not participating in debates, suggesting that the debates should feature an empty chair to remind viewers of Zeman's absence.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, January 2018
Mirek Topolánek launched the final phase of his campaign on 3 January, saying that he wanted to be a strong president who "would neither welcome EU migrant quotas, nor beckon to Eastern powers". He also attacked Miloš Zeman and Jiří Drahoš.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, January 2018
The campaign became more aggressive in the days leading up to the first round. Drahoš attacked Topolánek over funding for the Czech Academy of Sciences, accusing Topolánek of trying to destroy and defund the Academy. Topolánek dismissed Drahoš' accusation and stated that cut in funding for the Academy took place after his premiership concluded, supporting his arguments with a graph. Topolánek then suggested that the Academy's problems were due to Drahoš' poor management skills. Drahoš disagreed.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, January 2018
Topolánek attacked Drahoš over his campaign manager Jakub Kleindienst, due to his connection to past scandals via his involvement in a company with links to former Minister David Rath. Drahoš defended Kleindiest in interviews. Michal Horáček was accused of financing negative articles about his political rivals, which he denied. Pavel Fischer described Horáček's tactics as "dirty".


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, January 2018
Pavel Fischer held a meeting with his supporters on 7 January 2017. His supporters started referring to his presidential campaign as a "Turquoise revolution". Fischer's supporters were very active on social media.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, First round
Before the first round, leaflets were distributed in the city of Ostrava containing false claims that Zeman, as the current president, would automatically progress to the second round of the election, so that his supporters would be absent during the first. Similar messages were also shared on social media. The Ostrava police investigated the matter as a criminal act.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, First round
During the first round, Miloš Zeman was confronted while preparing to cast his vote by a Ukrainian Femen protester who repeatedly screamed "Zeman, Putin's slut", with the same words painted across her bare chest. She was removed from the polling station by security and arrested on a count of disorderly conduct. The protester was later expelled from the country and sentenced by the court to three months of prison with the sentence being suspended for a one-year probation period. Some commentators speculated that the Femen protester's actions may have contributed to Zeman's re-election, and theories also circulated that the protest was organized by Zeman's campaign team, which the protester denied.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, First round
Miloš Zeman and Jiří Drahoš qualified for the second round, with 38.57% and 26.60% of the vote respectively. Drahoš won the most votes in Prague, Prague-West and Prague-East Districts, and from voters abroad. Zeman won the most votes in all other districts of the country.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Second round
Drahoš was endorsed by defeated candidates Pavel Fischer, Marek Hilšer, Michal Horáček, Vratislav Kulhánek and Mirek Topolánek. Zeman was endorsed by Petr Hannig. Jiří Hynek said he would publish his endorsement one day before the second round, after the two remaining candidates had answered a questionnaire he would send them. Zeman agreed to participate in debates for the second round. Drahoš received endorsements from the Civic Democratic Party and TOP 09. Drahoš was considered the slight front-runner in the second round. Zeman "changed his tone" and emphasized his centrist credentials during the last stretch of the election campaign.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Second round
Drahoš launched his second round campaign on 16 January 2018. He visited his hometown Jablunkov and was welcomed by his supporters at the Town Hall. Drahoš received a Golden Apple from the mayor of the town and then attended an ice hockey match in Třinec. He was booed by ice hockey fans during the match. Pavel Fischer, Michal Horáček and Marek Hilšer decided to participate in Drahoš' campaign.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Second round
The Friends of Miloš Zeman Association published an anti-Drahoš advertisement linking him with support for immigration. Drahoš stated that he did not support immigration and opposed migrant quotas. Zeman himself said that he considered the advertisement useless and believed that it would hurt him and not Drahoš. On the other hand, he defended his supporters and repeated the connection of Drahoš with immigration.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Second round
Zeman appeared in a broadcast on TV Nova on 21 January 2018. He said he would prefer a government of ANO 2011 supported by the Social Democrats and the Communist Party. He also stated that he would be less arrogant during his second term. Drahoš on the other hand held meetings with his supporters in Brno and Ostrava.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Second round, Debates
On 15 January, Zeman suggested that he and Drahoš should participate in four debates. Drahoš said that he would participate in only two debates, to spend his time focusing on a personal campaign in regions where he had received fewer votes.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Second round, Debates
The candidates eventually faced each other in two head-to-head debates. The first was broadcast on Prima TV on 23 January. The debate was very aggressive and influenced by the loud audience. Zeman was described as more energetic, while Drahoš was said to be faint and visibly nervous. Experts expressed the opinion that Zeman had dominated the debate and appeared as the victor. Drahoš improved his performance during the Czech Television debate on 25 January. The debate was calmer and Drahoš was considered to be less uncertain than during the previous debate.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Second round, Debates
The second debate was considered a tie by most commentators. Several experts rated Drahoš's performance on Czech TV as weaker than Zeman's. The media lecturer from the Metropolitan University suggested that Drahoš had lost the debate in the opening minutes, while the political scientist from the CEVRO Institute was the only expert who considered Drahoš to be the winner of the debate.


2018 Czech presidential election, Official campaign, Result
Voting was held on 26 and 27 January 2018. Zeman emerged victorious with 51.37% of the vote to Drahoš's 48.63%, with a turnout of 66.60%, the highest since the 1998 legislative election.


2018 Czech presidential election, Campaign finance
No candidate may spend more than 40,000,000 CZK. Candidates who advance to the second round can spend 50,000,000 CZK (around US$2,300,000).


2018 Czech presidential election, Debates
The first debate was held on 8 November 2017 at Charles University. Jiří Drahoš, Michal Horáček, Marek Hilšer, Jiří Hynek, Pavel Fischer, Petr Hannig and Mirek Topolánek participated in the debate. Miloš Zeman refused to participate and instead went to Olomouc region to meet with citizens. Topolánek called for defense of Schengen border. Drahoš stated that he wants respect for the rules. Moderator mentioned Drahoš's attack against Topolánek. Topolánek stated that "it was either written by a woman or PR Mage. I forgave Professor whether I ever took it seriously." Audience was allowed to vote who they like the most. Drahoš and Hilšer received the most votes. According to Hospodářské noviny, Topolánek and Hilšer seemed as the most civil candidates.


2018 Czech presidential election, Debates
Seznam News held a presidential debate on 13 November 2017. Topolánek, Drahoš, Horáček, Fischer, Hilšer and Kulhánek participated. Topolánek was considered the winner of the debate. Another debate was held in Liberec on 16 November 2017.


2018 Czech presidential election, Opinion polls
Opinion polls from 2014 showed Miloš Zeman leading in the first round with between 20% and 48% of the vote. Michal Horáček became his main rival during 2016 but was overtaken by Jiří Drahoš during 2017. Drahoš was leading polls for the second round with a 10% lead in September 2017. The margin narrowed during October and November and Drahoš' lead fluctuated between 0.5% and 4%. Some polls in late January 2018 showed Zeman with a narrow lead.


2018 Czech presidential election, Aftermath
Zeman said that a narrow victory pleases the most people, and that he respected all people who vote. Zeman confirmed that his second term would be the end of his political career, as the election was "his last political victory that won't be followed by any political defeat." Drahoš conceded defeat and congratulated Zeman. He stated that he would not be leaving politics, telling supporters: "We didn't win but we didn't lose. I want to use the huge amount of energy that shouldn't disappear".


2018 Czech presidential election, Aftermath
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš congratulated Zeman and said that he had believed that the campaign based on attacks against him could not succeed. Leader of the opposition Petr Fiala also congratulated Zeman, and expressed hope that Zeman would serve the interests of the Czech Republic. The leader of Pirate Party, Ivan Bartoš, stated that he was pleased about the strong support for Jiří Drahoš. SPD leader Tomio Okamura and acting Social Democrat leader Milan Chovanec celebrated the results with Zeman at his election headquarters. Okamura expressed joy at the result, and Chovanec stated that he was glad that Zeman won.


2018 Czech presidential election, Aftermath
Communist Party leader Vojtěch Filip described Zeman's victory as an assurance of stability. KDU– ČSL leader Pavel Bělobrádek expressed hope that Zeman would unify the divided society. Miroslav Kalousek expressed dissatisfaction with the result and stated that the Czech Republic had wasted an opportunity for change. Zeman was also personally congratulated by his predecessor Václav Klaus. Klaus stated that he was glad about the result but afraid that Drahoš' supporters would not accept it. Zeman thanked Klaus for his support and invited him for a drink.


2018 Czech presidential election, Aftermath
By the end of February 2018, the Supreme Administrative Court rejected all of about 70 complaints concerning the regularity of elections, ruling that there were no serious mistakes or violations of the election law that could have influenced the outcome of the election. Some of the rejected complaints were then submitted to the Constitutional court, which rejected the last complaint in June 2018, thus confirming the result.


2018 Czech presidential election, Aftermath
According to a poll conducted by Median, 54.2% of Czech people were satisfied with the result, and 37.5% were dissatisfied.


2018 Czech presidential election, Aftermath, Analysis
Observers compared the presidential race to previous elections such as the 2016 Austrian, 2016 United States and 2017 French presidential elections, which saw a liberal internationalist running against a national populist. Though both sides seemed to have roughly equal support among Czech voters, the national populism was represented by clearer ideology and strong leaders, while the liberal message was fragmented and the candidates did not have common themes or language, apart from agreeing on the need for an "anti-Zeman" candidate.


2018 Czech presidential election, Aftermath, Analysis
According to analysts, important factors in Zeman's victory were his strong debate performances and the closeness of the first round results, the latter helping mobilize his base. Drahoš was estimated to have lost about a quarter of his voters as a result of the televised debates. Analysts also pointed out that the support for Zeman came from districts with high levels of poverty, and also from regions dominated by traditional industries, agriculture and the construction industry, while regions dominated by IT services and public administration supported Drahoš. Zeman's strident opposition to immigration also worked in his favor, though his major opponents Drahoš and Horáček also voiced opposition to immigration and the EU's migrant quotas, while all but one candidate criticised illegal immigration to Europe.


2018 Czech presidential election, Aftermath, Analysis
Analysts as well as politicians saw the close election results as an illustration of the deep divisions present in Czech society.


2018 Czech presidential election debates
The 2018 Czech presidential election debates were a series of debates held for the 2018 Czech presidential election. The incumbent president and front-runner Miloš Zeman declined to participate in debates for the first round. Zeman agreed to participate in debates against Jiří Drahoš for the second round.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Charles University debate
The first debate was held on 8 November 2017 at Charles University. Jiří Drahoš, Michal Horáček, Marek Hilšer, Jiří Hynek, Pavel Fischer, Petr Hannig and Mirek Topolánek participated in the debate. Miloš Zeman refused to participate and instead went to Olomouc region to meet with citizens. According to Hospodářské noviny, Topolánek and Hilšer seemed as the most civil candidates. Audience was allowed to vote who they like the most. Everyone had 3 plus votes and 1 minus vote. Drahoš had 333 votes, Hilšer 227 votes, Horáček  176 votes, Fischer 128 votes, Topolánek 36 votes, Hynek minus 12 votes, Hannig minus 266 votes.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Charles University debate
Hilšer stated that he doesn't want a president who was involved with dirty politics in past years. Topolánek stated that his candidacy is caused by the current political situation. Horáček stated he would disinfect Prague Castle if he is elected. Moderator then mentioned Drahoš's attack against Topolánek. Drahoš stated that he isn't scared of Topolánek and stated that he will most likely explain this to Topolánek. Topolánek answered that "it was either written by a woman or PR Mage. I forgave Professor whether I ever took it seriously." Topolánek was asked if he is a candidate.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Charles University debate
He mentioned that speculations that his candidacy might be invalid are purposeful. He stated that president should be a strong persona and know the ropes in politics. He mentioned his experiences. He also stated that he wouldn't pardon his former associate Marek Dalík. Drahoš stated that he wants Prague Castle to be open. Topolánek mentioned that he was unprepared for the discussion and can say how he feels about things. Hynek expressed regrets about Realists failure in 2017 legislative election. Topolánek called for defense of Schengen border. Drahoš stated that he wants respect for principles.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
Seznam News held a presidential debate on 13 November 2017. Mirek Topolánek, Jiří Drahoš, Michal Horáček, Pavel Fischer, Marek Hilšer and Vratislav Kulhánek participated. Topolánek dominated the debate.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
The introductory part was informal. Candidates discussed whether the new president should be a politician or someone out of politics. Michal Horáček stated he believes that the new president shouldn't be a politician. Topolánek talked about his experiences when he was President of the Council of the European Union and had to deal with Gas crisis.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
Candidates also talked about Miloš Zeman. Kulhánek stated that Zeman's absence in debates is visible and makes it impossible to defend against his attacks. Fischer stated that Zeman should defend his mandate in debates. Drahoš noted that it is Zeman's own decision to not participate. Topolánek stated that he believes that Zeman knows what he does and that Zeman sends a message to voters "that they should only pick him a rival for the second round." Hilšer noted he thinks it is a lack of respect to voters.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
Topolánek was then asked whom he would designate the new Prime Minister. He stated that he would meet Babiš and told him that he should choose someone else to be the Prime Minister instead of him. He also mentioned that he would call snap election if the third attempt to form a coalition government would fail. Fischer stated he doesn't see political creativity in Zeman's position and believes the president could be more active just as Václav Havel and Václav Klaus were. Hilšer stated that Zeman is an ally of Andrej Babiš even though he previously called Babiš an unreliable person.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
In the second part the candidates asked questions. Candidates were asked if they believe that the democracy is in danger. Drahoš stated he doesn't think Czech democracy is in danger but believes that Czech people should be vigilant. Fischer believed that democracy is endangered by passivity and by limitations of freedom of speech. Hilšer stated that democracy isn't in danger but he feels danger in privatisation of political power and that Czech democracy might go an  authoritaritarian way. Horáček stated that democracy is always in danger.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
Kulhánek doesn't think democracy is in danger and believes that Senate and Constitutional Court can defend democracy. Topolánek stated that every democracy is in danger and every democracy has symptoms of self-destruction. He believes that we should always see symptoms of danger for democracy. He stated he sees that personal freedom is secretly being cut while people doesn't realise it.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
Candidates were asked why they want to be president. Hilšer stated he is part of generation that didn't live in totalitarian regime and wants to take responsibility. He also stated that he is an independent candidate who isn't allied with political subjects. Horáček promised radical independence and stated he can recognize dirty players. Kullhánek stated he accomplished everything by himself and can offer his experience as he spent his life in a factory among regular people.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
Fischer talked about instability in world and believes that his experience as an ambassador and as an adviser of Václav Havel makes him a good candidate. Topolánek stated he is a democrat who knows where the Czech Republic belongs. He mentioned that he has a political past and everybody knows what to expect from him. Topolánek stated that he learns from mistakes and doesn't make the same mistake twice. Drahoš offered the experiences of a scientist and a manager. He stated he negotiated with politicians and saved the Czech Academy of Sciences. He mentioned he doesn't have a political past.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
Candidates were asked how they would convince lower-class people to vote for them. Fischer stated that he would support justice for everybody. Drahoš stated that there are such people and he thinks that these people are under influence of some politicians. He would talk with them and tell them that laws apply to everybody. Hilšer mentioned that he comes from regions that are less developed and stated that some politicians created Mafia and created these problems. Topolánek mentioned problems that made them dissatisfied. He mentioned dissatisfaction with development after Velvet Revolution and with all political representations since the revolution.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
He mentioned fear of poverty and immigrants. He stated that it will be a difficult and a long job to convince these people to believe in politics again. Kulhánek stated that he would make them promises that he would help them and then keep them. Horáček stated that these people are angry at people who don't work and use social system as an opportunity.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
In the last part candidates were asked whether they would confirm a criminally charged Prime Minister. Only Horáček stated that he would. Another question was whether candidates would support a referendum about the Czech Republic leaving European Union. All candidates declined even though Topolánek stated that he could consider leaving the EU in future but not in the current situation. Candidates were also asked about the pardon for Jiří Kajínek. None of candidates agreed with the pardon. Only Pavel Fischer declined to answer as he considers the question obsolete.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
Candidates were also asked about Russia. Marek Hilšer, Michal Horáček and Pavlel Fischer answered they consider Russia the biggest threat to the Czech Republic while Mirek Topolánek, Jiří Drahoš and Vratislav Kulhánek disagreed. Hilšer stated that candidates that don't consider Russia the biggest security threat have business interests there. Topolánek called Hilšer's words a cheap move. Hilšer stated that Russia is dangerous through hybrid war and could influence a possible referendum about Czech membership in European Union. Drahoš stated that he sees North Korea as a bigger threat than Russia.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
Topolánek stated that Czechs are a bigger security threat to themselves because they are unable to build a proper army that could defend the country. He also stated that terrorism and Islamism is a bigger threat than Russia. He stated that the Czech Republic only needs Russian markets but doesn't need Russian imperialism. Kulhánek considers poverty in some African and Asian regions the biggest threat to the Czech Republic because it leads to uncontrollable immigration. Horáček stated that he considers Russia the biggest threat. Fischer stated that NATO should take Russian seriously.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Seznam News Debate
The last question was about security measures at the Prague Castle. All candidates believe these measures are too excessive. Candidates stated they will endorse Zeman's opponent in the second round.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Liberec Library debate
The debate was held on 16 November 2017. All candidates with exception of Miloš Zeman debated in Liberec Library. The debate was held by DVTV. DVTV then held a survey on Twitter to decide which candidate was the most convincing. Mirek Topolánek received the highest number of votes.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Liberec Library debate
Topolánek stated that the first Czech Republic ends and Second Czech Republic will start. Candidates talked about government formation. Drahoš stated that he wouldn't approach government formation the same way as Miloš Zeman while Hannig stated that he would approach the same way as Zeman. Topolánek stated he considers Andrej Babiš a danger for progress since Velvet Revolution but would approach him professionally. Hynek stated that he would cooperate with Babiš. Candidates then talked about a case of racist comments to a photo of students from Teplice Elementary. Hannig was the only candidate to not have problem with it. Drahoš stated that he doesn't think Czech people are racist but some politicians spread fear.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Liberec Library debate
Fischer was asked about competences of President. He state that he wouldn't touch the constitution. Hannig stated that wouldn't have problem with a Semi-presidential system. Horáček then criticised security measures at Prague Castle. Drahoš and Hynek criticised Zeman. Topolánek stated that president's health should be known to public because he is the commander-in-chief of the Military of the Czech Republic. Hannig disagreed.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Hynek - Hannig Duel
Jiří Hynek and Petr Hannig participated in a debate by Seznam Zprávy on 27 November 2017.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, University of West Bohemia
Debate at University of West Bohemia was held on 28 November 2017. Jiří Drahoš, Michal Horáček, Marek Hilšer, Jiří Hynek, Pavel Fischer, Petr Hannig and Mirek Topolánek participated in the debate.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Horáček - Hynek Duel
Duel between Michal Horáček and Jiří Hynek was held on 5 December 2017. According to a survey on Twitter, Horáček won the debate.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Topolánek - Hilšer Duel
Seznam news held a presidential duel between Topolánek and Hilšer on 8 December 2017. Hilšer attacked Topolánek for his past and tried to make a parallel between Topolánek and Miloš Zeman. Topolánek dismissed his claims and stated that he is not linked with Zeman by political opinions. Topolánek also stated he has political experience and knows how politics work. Candidates also argued about migrant quotas. According to a survey on Twitter, Topolánek won the debate.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Světozor Debate
Debate in Světozor Kino was held on 11 December 2017. Drahoš, Hannig, Hilšer, Horáček and Hynek participated. Topolánek, Kulhánek and Fischer refused because they had a different schedule.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Drahoš - Fischer Duel
Jiří Drahoš and Pavel Fischer met for a duel at Seznam News on 12 December 2017. Fischer doubted Drahoš' competency to be a president. Drahoš disagreed with his opinion and defended himself with sport terminology. There were a surveys on Twitter and Facebook to decide who won. Fischer received more votes. Fischer stated after the duel that he expected a strong rival but didn't get him.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Drahoš/Horáček Duel
Jiří Drahoš and Michal Horáček faced each other in a duel on 19 December 2017. Horáček attacked Drahoš' campaign finances and highlighted that he finances is campaign by himself. Horáček also tried to examine Drahoš' knowledge of English language. Drahoš tried to attack Horáček for his previous attacks against him. Seznam News had survey on Facebook and Twitter. Horáček won the debate according to these surveys.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Drahoš/Horáček Duel
PR expert Jiří Mikeš stated that Drahoš was better visually but Horáček had better arguments. He stated that both of them had good showings but the debate showed that Drahoš and Horáček aren't prepared for a heavyweight battle with Zeman. Mirek Topolánek is the only candidate that could battle with Zeman according to Mikeš. Sociologist Vojtěch Bednář stated that the debate showed Drahoš' handicap as he comes from Academic environment and isn't prepared for a conflict. It could be a problem for him as he will face sharper guys than Horáček is. He still stated that it is hard to decide who won.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Horáček/Topolánek Duel
Michal Horáček and Mirek Topolánek faced each other in a duel organised by Seznam News on 20 December 2017. Horáček stated that he doesn't consider Topolánek an honest man. Topolánek disagreed and stated that everybody who knows him and worked with him consider him an honest man who keeps his word. Horáček mentioned Helena Třeštíková who was a member of Topolánek's cabinet and doesn't think that Topolánek keeps his word. Topolánek stated that it happened differently and that Třeštíková didn't have an idea who is governing about and she had to leave his cabinet because she psychically collapsed.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Horáček/Topolánek Duel
Horáček also mentioned Topolánek's coworker Dalík. Topolánek stated that court case with Marek Dalík didn't seem really correct to him. He stated that he doesn't know what would Horáček do if a friend of his would be sentenced to prison. He then noted that Horáček often use informations from Newspapers and mentioned that politician should be able to face pressure from media. Topolánek mentioned that Horáček often calls himself independent because he finances his campaign by himself but these mone come from gambling business. He stated that people lost this moneand didn't give it to him.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Horáček/Topolánek Duel
Horáček stated that it is important for directly elected president to be independent of politician and business. He also stated that he is sure that he will defeat Miloš Zeman. Topolánek then noted that Horáček is too emotional. Topolánek mentioned that he left politics 8 years ago. Horáček then mentioned affairs linked to Topoláneks cabinet and stated that many public orders didn't go through tender. Topolánek replied that Horáček is very wrong and stated that orders underwent tender but were criticised for its price. Horáček stated that he opposes hard core of European Union and is against migrant quotas.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Horáček/Topolánek Duel
Topolánek stated that the Czech Republic doesn't have an alternative to European Union but it is visible that the European nion goes somewhere where the Czech Republic doesn't want to go. Horáček then attacked Topolánek for law about Solar panels. Topolánek stated that the problem showed up during Jan Fischer's Cabinet and he wasn't even a member of parliament at the time. He stated that Jan Fischer failed to solve the problem. There is a survey on Twitter and Facebook to decide who won the debate. Topolánek received more votes on Twitter while Horáček received more votes on Facebook.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Drahoš/Topolánek Duel
Jiří Drahoš and Mirek Topolánek faced each other in a duel organised by Seznam News on 21 December 2017. Drahoš attacked Topolánek about formation of his cabinet as it was supported by 2 MPs who left opposition Czech Social Democratic Party. Topolánek stated that he had to solve 2006 situation when left wing parties and centre-right parties both received 100 seats. Drahoš then attacked Topolánek that he failed as a leader of the Civic Democratic Party and didn't defeat "Godfathers" within  the party.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Drahoš/Topolánek Duel
Topolánek stated that Drahoš is wrong and stated he started processes that concluded under leadership of Petr Fiala. Topolánek also disagreed with Drahoš' statement that his cabinet didn't support science adequately and supported it with a graph. Drahoš still disagreed that Topolánek's cabinet should have supported science more. Topolánek mentioned that he was head of the Council of science and supported it. Topolánek opened a topic of European migrant crisis and mentioned that Drahoš signed under Science proclamation from 2015. Topolánek called it an "invitation letter."


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, Drahoš/Topolánek Duel
Drahoš stated that he doesn't consider it an invitation letter and attacked Topolánek that he entered campaign late and might have slept somewhere. Topolánek countered and stated that he hasn't slept but focused on a topic of migrant crisis very long time and has written many articles for Echo24 but Drahoš most likely doesn't read. There is a survey on Twitter and Facebook to decide who won the debate. Topolánek received more votes in both polls.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, First round debates, First ladies among us
Debate of candidates' wives is held on 5 January 2018. Bohumila Bračíková (Vratislav Kulhánek), Eva Drahošová (Jiří Drahoš), Klára Fischerová (Pavel Fischer), Monika Hilšerová (Marek Hilšer), Michaela Hořejší-Horáčková (Michal Horáček), Eliška Hynková (Jiří Hynek) and Lucie Talmanová (Mirek Topolánek).


2018 Czech presidential election debates, Second round debates
Zeman agreed to participate in debates for the second round. On 15 January, Zeman suggested that he and Drahoš should participate in four debates. Drahoš said that he would participate in only two debates, to spend his time focusing on a personal campaign in regions where he had received fewer votes.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, Second round debates, TV Prima Duel
The first duel was broadcast on Prima TV on 23 January. The debate was very aggressive and influenced by the loud audience. First topic focused on government formation. Draho stated that he would not nominate criminally prosecuted Prime Minister while Zeman stated that he will nominate Andrej Babiš as the victor of legislative election. He noted that Babiš has not been convicted and presumption of innocence applies to him. Candidates then talked about a ban of smoking in restaurants. Drahoš noted that he would support exceptions for small pubs. Candidates strongly disagreed with each other on the topic of Fake news. Zeman stated that he is against limitations of freedom of speech on the internet. Zeman also attacked Drahoš for his claims that elections in the Czech Republic were influenced by foreign powers.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, Second round debates, TV Prima Duel
Zeman was described as more energetic, while Drahoš was said to be faint and visibly nervous. Experts expressed the opinion that Zeman had dominated the debate and appeared as the victor. According to poll by Median 59% of people considered Zeman the victor while 13% believed that Drahoš won the debate.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, Second round debates, Česká televize duel
Drahoš improved his performance during the Czech Television debate on 25 January which was seen by 2.6 million TV-spectators. The debate was calmer and Drahoš was considered to be less uncertain and more aggressive than during the previous debate. The second debate was considered a tie by most commentators. Several experts rated the performance of Drahoš in Czech TV as weaker than the one of his opponent. The media lecturer from the Metropolitan University even claimed that Drahos had lost the debate in the opening minutes, while the political scientist from the CEVRO Institute, on the other hand, was the only expert who considered Drahoš to be the winner of the debate.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, Polls/Surveys
This section lists surveys or polls about who was the most convincing in each debate.


2018 Czech presidential election debates, Polls/Surveys, Prezident 21 surveys
These surveys use different style. Everyone who voted was allowed to give positive vote to 3 candidates and a negative vote to 1 candidate.


2018 D.C. United season
The 2018 D.C. United season was D.C. United's 23rd season of existence, and their 23rd in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer.


2018 D.C. United season
The 2018 season was the club's first season playing at Audi Field following a 22-year tenure at RFK Memorial Stadium. Prior to the midseason opening of Audi Field, United played four home matches at alternative venues: three at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Maryland (one league match and two cup matches), and one league match at the Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Off season
D.C. United began the off-season trying to figure out how to replace long-time mainstay Bill Hamid, and try to build a much stronger defense in front of his replacement. The team did have the third slot in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, but elected to deal the selection for allocation money. The team sent allocation money to New York City F.C. to acquire centerback Frédéric Brillant and allocation money to Seattle Sounders F.C. to acquire reserve fullback Oniel Fisher. The team also acquired Costa Rican fullback Joseph Mora. They traded for Vancouver Whitecaps F.C. keeper David Ousted.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Off season
however, the team also had to find more consistent offensive production. They traded for under-used speedy Jamaican striker, Darren Mattocks and acquired another Costa Rican, midfielder Ulises Segura. The team also sought to bolster the central midfield, acquiring young Venezuelan deep-lying central midfielder Júnior Moreno. The biggest move of the off-season was to deal for Atlanta United F.C. 's attacking star Yamil Asad.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Early season
D.C. United began their most consequential season in years, with the longest road trip in team history. Twelve of the first fourteen games were on the road, as the team awaited the completion and opening of their new Buzzard Point stadium, to be called Audi Field. It was a rough start. The team opened with a hopeful draw in Orlando, including a goal by Asad, but that was followed by a 3–1 loss in Atlanta. The D.C. side than played their first regular season home game at the Maryland Soccerplex in Germantown, Maryland.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Early season
The intimate setting and snowy weather made for a unique experience, but the team continued its struggles, surrendering two first-half goals. A thrilling rally, however, netted goals by Luciano Acosta and Darren Mattocks and a hard-won point. D.C. only had the two points from the two draws in five matches in March, and then lost again in Kansas City to open April. They returned to the D.C. area to play a home game at the Navy Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Despite scoring in the first minute. United handed the visitors a man advantage when Paul Arriola was shown a red card early in the second half. D.C. had to weather a furious assault by Columbus Crew. Thanks to heroic goalkeeping by Steve Clark, the team hung on for its first win of the year, 1–0.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Early season
The long road trip resumed, and so did the losing, with a pair of 3–2 defeats at the hands of Philadelphia Union and Real Salt Lake. D.C. finally won a game on the road, defeating the lowly San Jose Earthquakes by a 3–1 scoreline. The team seemed to be showing progress and earned a 1–1 draw in their first trip to Los Angeles to face potent expansion side LAFC. A 2–1 loss to Seattle followed as the team failed to defend a 1–0 lead after Mattocks had put the team ahead early in the second half.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Early season
The pattern repeated in a trip to Toronto to face the defending league champions. D.C. actually took a 3–0 lead, which they surrendered over the course of the second half. Still a goal by Acosta in stoppage time seemed to have gained a stunning three points, but Toronto F.C. again rallied with a fourth, tying goal before the final whistle.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Early season
As fans of the team looked forward to the opening of the long-awaited, new stadium, speculation intensified that the team would make its biggest signing ever, bringing in English star Wayne Rooney. His signing was announced as June drew to a close. The road trip ended with yet another 3–2 loss, to New England Revolution and yet another draw in Los Angeles, this time a 2–2 affair against LA Galaxy.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Mid-season and a New Home
The new stadium, Audi Field, opened on July 14 in front of a sell-out crowd. A goal by Asad, assisted by Zoltan Stieber gave the team its first ever goal and first lead in the new stadium. Wayne Rooney came on as a substitute in the 58th minute, to a roaring ovation, and he immediately raised the team's level. 2 more goals followed, both by Arriola, the last giving Rooney his first assist in his first Major League Soccer match. However, a giveaway in stoppage time led to a goal by Vancouver's teenage sensation Alphonso Davies, spoiling Ousted's bid for his first clean sheet of the season.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Mid-season and a New Home
Rooney got his first start in Atlanta, but he looked out of shape and the team failed to protect an early lead, finally losing by a familiar 3–1 scoreline in Atlanta. New York Red Bulls spoiled the second match at Audi Field, as Bradley Wright-Phillips put the visitors on top with a second-minute goal, a lead they never surrendered, despite an uncalled penalty shout for Rooney in the second half. Results did start to come though, for D.C, as they won their next four games at home, and managed a draw in Montreal.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Mid-season and a New Home
Included in that stretch was a 3–2 win over a short-handed Orlando City S.C. side, as Lucho Acosta scored a hat-trick. For all of Acosta's heroics, though, the name on everyone's lips at the end of the game was Wayne Rooney. Deep in stoppage time, United lined up a corner kick and goalkeeper Ousted pushed forward to try to get the winning goal, to break the 2–2 tie. Orlando gained possession and tried to break out of their end quickly to attack the undefended D.C end and get the winning goal themselves.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Mid-season and a New Home
Rooney ran back as the one defender who had a chance to stop the Orlando breakaway. He wasn't able to beat Wil Johnson to the ball as it rolled past midfield, but Rooney dispossessed Johnson with a sliding tackle. Rooney then rose and dribbled back in the opposite direction before a sending a long pass across the field, into the box, where Acosta was able to head it for the winning goal at the death. The post-game discussion was whether Rooney's effort was the greatest play in league history.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Mid-season and a New Home
That thrilling finish was followed by the return of Bill Hamid to the D.C. United goalkeeper role. Hamid had struggled in Denmark and was anxious to return to the D.C. United fold. Hamid's return was marked by a pair of solid wins, 4–1 over Portland Timbers on the strength of a brace by Rooney that included his first free kick goal, and a 2–0 over New England.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Mid-season and a New Home
But the team then took some steps backward with a hard-fought 1–0 loss to the Red Bulls on a hot Sunday night on the road, followed by a tired, sluggish effort in a midweek 2–0 home loss to Philadelphia. D.C rebounded, though, with a 3–1 thumping of the league leaders, Atlanta United F.C., a road draw in Yankee Stadium against NYCFC, another home win as the team rallied to beat Minnesota United 2–1.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Mid-season and a New Home
That was followed by a thrilling rematch at home against the Red Bulls, D.C. took the lead three times on goals by Arriola, Rooney and Acosta, but each time they surrendered the lead on a goal by Wright-Phillips. The 3–3 draw temporarily left D.C. United 4 points off the pace for the final playoff spot, but with a game in hand over Montreal Impact, whom they would play in their next home match, to close out September.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Mid-season and a New Home
A sell-out crowd watched D.C. United host the Montreal Impact in a crucial match in the race or the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Lucho Acosta got the home side off to a good start with an impressive finish to beat the Impact 'keeper to the far post in the 17th minute. United seemed to back off after that, as the Impact pressed for much of the rest of the first half. United barely clung to the 1–0 lead at halftime, giving no hint of the explosive second half to come.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Mid-season and a New Home
Early in the second half, Acosta got the ball to Rooney, who picked his way towards the box before blistering a shot to beat the goalie at the near post. In the 61st minute, Acosta got his second assist of the game, as Rooney sent Acosta in through the Montreal defense, and Acosta then crossed the ball for Arriola to poke it for the third goal. In the 78th minute D.C. stretched its lead to 4–0 as Arriola beat the goalie to a loose ball and scored his second of the match, and giving Acosta his 3rd assist.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Mid-season and a New Home
3 minutes later, Rooney capped off a 5–0 thrashing of Montreal, as a clearance by the Impact goalie came to Rooney. Even from 40 yards out, Rooney had little trouble scoring on an empty net. The final result was the most convincing scoreline for D.C. since a 5–0 win over New England Revolution in 2001. In the playoff chase, D.C. still trailed Montreal by 2 points, but now had 2 games in hand to make up those points, and no team was playing in better form than D.C. United. All the good feeling was a little tempered by the news later that starting right back Oniel Fisher had suffered a season-ending knee injury, but the team seemed to be in good position heading into the final month of the regular season calendar.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Close of the regular season
The final month of the regular season, October, opened with Montreal posting a 3–0 win over Columbus and Philadelphia an even bigger winner over Minnesota. The pressure was on D.C. United to win to keep on the Impact's heel for the last playoff position. Hosting Chicago Fire, D.C got off to a good start but squandered several chances in the first half, including an apparent Rooney goal, waved off for a foul after a video review. When Chicago scored in the 51st minute, it looked as if D.C. would have a long team to rue missed chances.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Close of the regular season
However, in the 62nd minute, Arriola, starting at right back, sent a shot in on goal. Rooney scored on the rebound and later added a second goal to claim all 3 points with a successful Penalty Kick in the 81st minute. No ground gained in the playoff chase in this round, but D.C. knew it still controlled its own fate. D.C. would play two home matches before Montreal would again take the field, and a win in either match would put D.C. on top of Montreal in the table.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Close of the regular season
The 2018 MLS season continued even through an international break, with D.C. United playing with a very short bench, thanks to a combination of injuries, international call-ups and a pair of tragic items that struck the team in short order. Paul Arriola had been slotted to start at right back following Fisher's season-ending knee surgery, but the news of the sudden death of Arriola's father meant he was unavailable for the team's two games in over the international break. It was also announced that another potential option at right back, Chris Odoi-Atsem would undergo treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The return of Nick DeLeon from the injured list could not have been more timely.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Close of the regular season
United managed two straight 1–0 wins at home. The first came against the Western Conference leaders F.C. Dallas. United squandered some chances and seemed destined to settle for a draw, dropping two much needed points in the playoff chase. However, in the 86th minute Russell Canouse scored his first ever MLS goal, with a header that finished off a scramble following a Canouse shot that came back off the post.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Close of the regular season
In a midweek match against the defending champions, Toronto F.C., United did the deed early on when Wayne Rooney scored a memorable goal on a 40-yard free kick that curled back just inside the post. That left the team needing only 3 points in its final two games to secure a playoff spot that seemed impossible 3 months earlier, when Rooney signed with the team.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Close of the regular season
D.C. United clinched their place in the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs in style, rounding out their 2018 home regular season campaign with a convincing win over visiting NYCFC, extending the team's unbeaten streak to nine games. The first came when Acosta went on a run from the sideline maneuvering through several defenders before cutting the ball to Rooney for a simple tap-in at the top of the six-yard box.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, Close of the regular season
Acosta got the honors on the second goal, as Rooney lost control of the ball about 20 yards out and Acosta stepped up and one-timed a curling shot into the corner of the NYC goal. A second-half penalty kick by Rooney extended the lead to 3–0. A late goal by David Villa ruined the clean sheet, but the final 3–1 result put D.C. in the playoffs, with a chance to claim the 4th spot in the table with a road win or draw at Chicago in the final week. D.C. was unable to score against Chicago Fire, but a 0–0 was enough to put D.C. ahead of Philadelphia into 4th place, and earned a home game in the one-game opening playoff round, against the Columbus Crew.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, MLS Playoffs
Playing in front of one of the most raucous home crowds in team history, D.C. United took a 1–0 lead in the first half, when Brillant pounced on a loose ball in the box, heading it for a goal after a misplay by the Columbus Crew goalie Zack Steffen. However, a pair of defensive errors allowed Columbus to equalize before halftime. Thanks to spectacular saves by each goalie, the game remained even and went into an overtime period. Columbus went ahead early in the first overtime on a header by Federico Higuaín, his second goal of the game.


2018 D.C. United season, Review, MLS Playoffs
D.C.'s season seemed to have been rescued when Nick DeLeon scored on a volley in the 118th minute, the latest goal in a game in team history. However, in a penalty kick shootout, Steffen saved shots from both of D.C.'s top guns, Rooney and Acosta. Hamid also saved one shot and forced former D.C. striker Patrick Mullins to hit the post with his effort. Shooting in the fifth spot, DeLeon put his shot over the crossbar, giving the Crew a 3–2 winning margin in the shootout, ending D.C. United's season.


2018 D.C. United season, Transfers, In, Draft picks
Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only trades involving draft picks and executed after the start of 2018 MLS SuperDraft will be listed in the notes. Pending any trades up to the draft, United had six selections in the SuperDraft.


2018 D.C. United season, Transfers, In, Draft picks
Notes: D.C. United traded their first round pick (third selection overall) to Los Angeles FC for $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) and $100,000 in Targeted Allocation Money (TAM).


2018 D.C. United season, Player statistics, Most goals
The list is sorted by shirt number when total goals are equal.


2018 D1 Grand Prix series
The 2018 D1 Grand Prix series is the eighteenth season for the D1 Grand Prix series. The season began on March 31 at Maishima Sports Island in Osaka, and ended on November 3 at the Odaiba Tokyo Street Course. This season also marked the commencement of the new D1 Lights series, with the preseason match on January 20, at Nikko Circuit, with the season ending on December 1 at the same venue.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final
The 2018 DFB-Pokal Final decided the winner of the 2017–18 DFB-Pokal, the 75th season of the annual German football cup competition. The match was played on 19 May 2018 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final
The final featured Bayern Munich, the record winners of the competition, and Eintracht Frankfurt, the runners-up of the previous season, making it a rematch of the 2006 final. Eintracht Frankfurt won the match 3–1 to claim their fifth cup title.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final
As winners, Frankfurt earned the right to host the 2018 edition of the DFL-Supercup at the start of the following season, facing the champions of the 2017–18 edition of the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich. Frankfurt also earned automatic qualification for the group stage of the 2018–19 edition of the UEFA Europa League.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Background
The match was the 22nd final for Bayern Munich, a competition record. Of the previous finals, Bayern had won on 18 occasions, also a competition record, and lost three times. Bayern's last final appearance was in 2016, where they won on penalties against Borussia Dortmund. Bayern were chasing a league and cup double, having won the 2017–18 Bundesliga in April 2018. Bayern had previously completed the double on 11 occasions (in 2013 as part of a treble), a record in Germany, most recently in 2016.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Background
The final was the fifth for Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes as a player and manager, having come out of retirement in October 2017 following the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti. Heynckes won the final in 1973 as a player with Borussia Mönchengladbach, before losing his next two finals as a manager in 1984 (with Gladbach) and 2012 (with Bayern). Heynckes then won the 2013 final before retiring, securing the treble for Bayern, the first ever in German football. The final was the last match for Heynckes as a manager, with Frankfurt's Niko Kovač taking over Bayern for the 2018–19 season. Heynckes previously managed Frankfurt during the 1994–95 season, but is not remembered well at the club after being sacked nine months into his tenure following a poor campaign.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Background
The match was the 8th final for Eintracht Frankfurt, with a record of four wins and three losses prior. Frankfurt last won the competition in 1988, the last major title for the club at the time, winning 1–0 against VfL Bochum. This was the second time Frankfurt have managed to reach consecutive finals, having previously done so in 1975. In the previous final, Frankfurt lost 1–2 to Borussia Dortmund.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Background
The final was the second consecutive for Croatian manager Niko Kovač in his second full season with Frankfurt, previously accomplished by Dietrich Weise in 1975. Kovač took over as manager of Eintracht Frankfurt in March 2016, where he managed to keep Die Adler in the Bundesliga after winning the relegation play-offs against 1. FC Nürnberg. The match was the last for Kovač with Frankfurt, against his future employers Bayern Munich, where he took over as coach for the following season after signing a three-year contract.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Background
A win would also see Kovač become the fifth person to win the DFB-Pokal as a player and manager, having won the 2003 final as a player with Bayern, previously accomplished by Ludwig Janda (player in 1942 with 1860 Munich, manager in 1956 with Karlsruher SC), Alfred Schmidt (player in 1965 with Borussia Dortmund, manager in 1970 with Kickers Offenbach), Thomas Schaaf (player in 1991 and 1994, manager in 1999, 2004 and 2009, all with Werder Bremen) and Jupp Heynckes (player in 1973 with Borussia Mönchengladbach, manager in 2013 with Bayern Munich).


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Background
The final was the 138th match between Bayern and Frankfurt, with a record of 68 Bayern wins, 39 Frankfurt wins, and 30 draws prior. Of the prior matches, four had been in the DFB-Pokal, with Bayern winning thrice and Frankfurt winning once. This included the 2006 final, where Bayern won 1–0 via a goal from Claudio Pizarro, making the match the 8th final pairing to be repeated (on 11 occasions). Their most recent cup meeting was in the round of 16 of the 2009–10 season, where Bayern won 4–0. The sides met twice during season prior to the final, with Bayern winning both by a score of 1–0 away in the first meeting on 9 December 2017 and 4–1 at home in the second meeting on 28 April 2018.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final
The DFB-Pokal began with 64 teams in a single-elimination knockout cup competition. There were a total of five rounds leading up to the final. Teams were drawn against each other, and the winner after 90 minutes would advance. If still tied, 30 minutes of extra time was played. If the score was still level, a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final, Bayern Munich
In the first round of the cup, Bayern faced third-division side Chemnitzer FC away. Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring for Bayern in the 20th minute, before Kingsley Coman scored the second in the 51st minute. Lewandowski completed a brace in the 60th minute, before Franck Ribéry scored the fourth for Bayern in the 79th minute. Defender Mats Hummels scored shortly before the end to seal the 5–0 win. In the second round, Bayern traveled to face RB Leipzig, the runners-up of the previous Bundesliga season.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final, Bayern Munich
After going a man down with Naby Keïta sent off, Leipzig were awarded a penalty after Jérôme Boateng fouled Yussuf Poulsen in the box. Emil Forsberg converted the penalty past Sven Ulreich to give Leipzig the lead in the 68th minute. However, five minutes later Bayern equalised through a header by Thiago. After a goalless period of extra time, the match went to a penalty shoot-out. After the first nine penalties were all successful, Ulreich saved Timo Werner's shot to send Bayern through to the next round.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final, Bayern Munich
In the round of 16, Bayern were drawn at home against cup holders and fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, who had knocked Bayern out in the semi-finals of the previous season. Boateng opened the scoring with a header in the 12th minute, before Thomas Müller doubled the lead for Bayern in the 40th minute. Andriy Yarmolenko reduced Dortmund's deficit with a goal in the 77th minute, but Bayern held on with a 2–1 win to advance. In the quarter-finals, Die Roten faced third-division side SC Paderborn away.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final, Bayern Munich
Coman opened the scoring in the 19th minute, before Lewandowski increased Bayern's lead six minutes later. Joshua Kimmich scored the third for Bayern in the 42nd minute, with Corentin Tolisso adding to the scoring with a header in the 55th minute. Arjen Robben scored a late brace for Bayern to secure the 6–0 win.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final, Bayern Munich
In the semi-finals, Bayern were drawn away to fellow Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern began quickly, with Lewandowski completing a brace with goals in the 3rd and 9th minute. Lars Bender reduced the deficit for Leverkusen with a header seven minutes later. In the second half, Müller increased Bayern's lead with a 52nd minute strike. Thiago scored the fourth for Bayern in the 60th minute, before Müller completed a brace four minutes later. Leon Bailey got a goal back for Leverkusen in the 72nd minute, before Müller completed his hat-trick six minutes later to seal the 6–2 win, sending Bayern to the final.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final, Eintracht Frankfurt
In the first round, Eintracht Frankfurt were drawn away to fourth-division side TuS Erndtebrück. Frankfurt were a man down after David Abraham was sent off in the 23rd minute, but they took the lead 12 minutes later via a goal from Timothy Chandler. In the 72nd minute, Mijat Gaćinović doubled the lead for Eintracht, before Sébastien Haller scored three minutes later to secure the 3–0 win. In the second round, Frankfurt were drawn away against fourth-division side Schweinfurt 05. Haller opened the scoring for Frankfurt in the 14th minute, before completing a brace with a 58th minute strike. Marius Wolf extended the lead five minutes later, before Danny Blum sealed the 4–0 win for Frankfurt in the 85th minute.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final, Eintracht Frankfurt
Frankfurt were drawn away to 1. FC Heidenheim in the round of 16. After a goalless 90 minutes, Gaćinović put Frankfurt ahead in the 95th minute of extra time. However, Marc Schnatterer equalised for the hosts a minute later. In the 109th minute, Haller restored Frankfurt's lead, with the 2–1 win enough to see Frankfurt advance. In the quarter-finals, Eintracht were drawn at home against Mainz 05. Ante Rebić put Frankfurt ahead after 17 minutes, before an own goal from Alexander Hack saw the lead double for the hosts. Omar Mascarell increased Frankfurt's lead with a 62nd-minute goal, securing the 3–0 win.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final, Eintracht Frankfurt
In the semi-finals, Frankfurt were drawn away to Schalke 04. After a goalless first half, Frankfurt took the lead in the 75th minute via a backheel from Luka Jović. Despite a red card from Gelson Fernandes in the 81st minute, Frankfurt managed to hold on for the 1–0 win and spot in the final.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Match, Summary
Robert Lewandowski came close to putting Bayern ahead after eight minutes, with his free kick hitting the underside of the crossbar. Three minutes later, Ante Rebić dispossessed James Rodríguez, and put the ball past Sven Ulreich after a one-two with Kevin-Prince Boateng to give Frankfurt the lead going into half-time. Eight minutes into the second half, Lewandowski equalised for Bayern, finishing the cut-back from Joshua Kimmich, which took a slight deflection off Omar Mascarell. Eintracht regained the lead in the 82nd minute after Rebić completed his brace, getting past Mats Hummels and Niklas Süle to lift the ball over Ulreich. In the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time, Mijat Gaćinović sealed the victory for Eintracht, putting the ball into an empty net after Ulreich had come forward for a corner in the final moments.


2018 DFB-Pokal Final, Match, Details
Assistant referees:Thorsten Schiffner (Konstanz)Markus Häcker (Waren)Fourth official:Patrick Ittrich (Hamburg)Video assistant referee:Bastian Dankert (Rostock)Assistant video assistant referee:René Rohde (Rostock)


2018 DFL-Supercup
The 2018 DFL-Supercup was the ninth edition of the German super cup under the name DFL-Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. The match was played on 12 August 2018.


2018 DFL-Supercup
The DFL-Supercup featured Eintracht Frankfurt, the winners of the 2017–18 DFB-Pokal, and Bayern Munich, the winners of the 2017–18 Bundesliga and two-time defending champions of the DFL-Supercup.


2018 DFL-Supercup
Bayern Munich won the match 5–0 for their third consecutive and seventh overall title.


2018 DFL-Supercup, Teams
In the following table, matches until 1996 were in the DFB-Supercup era, since 2010 were in the DFL-Supercup era.


2018 DFL-Supercup, Background
This was the first competitive match for incoming Bayern manager Niko Kovač, who left Eintracht Frankfurt the previous season after leading them to the DFB-Pokal title over future employers Bayern Munich.


2018 DFL-Supercup, Match, Details
Assistant referees:Dominik Schaal (Tübingen)Marcel Pelgrim (Hamminkeln-Loikum)Fourth official:Martin Petersen (Stuttgart)Video assistant referee:Bastian Dankert (Rostock)Assistant video assistant referee:René Rohde (Rostock)


2018 DPMM FC season
The 2018 season was DPMM FC's 7th consecutive season in the top flight of Singapore football and in the Singapore Premier League. Along with the SGPL, the club will also compete in the Singapore Cup.


2018 DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards
The 2018 DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards were held on 24 November 2018, at Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg.


2018 DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards, Winners and Nominees, Favourite Song Of The Year
Prince Kaybee (featuring, Zanda Zakuza, TNS and The Soulmates) - "Club Controller"


2018 DV1
2018 DV1 is a micro-asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Aten group, approximately 6–12 meters (20–40 feet) in diameter. It was first observed on 26 February 2018, by astronomers of the Mount Lemmon Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory, Arizona, five days prior to its sub-lunar close encounter with Earth at less than 0.3 lunar distance.


2018 DV1, Orbit and classification
2018 DV1 belongs to the Aten group of asteroids, which cross the orbit of Earth. Contrary to the much larger Apollos, Atens have a semi-major axis of less than 1 AU, that is, a period less than a year (Earth).


2018 DV1, Orbit and classification
Based on an observation arc of less than 2 days, it orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.82–1.15 AU once every 12 months (358 days; semi-major axis of 0.986 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins at Mount Lemmon with its first observation.


2018 DV1, Orbit and classification, Close encounters, 2018 flyby
On 2 March 2018, at 05:54 UT, this object passed Earth at a nominal distance of 0.29 LD (0.00075 AU) which corresponds to a distance of 112,600 kilometres (70,000 miles). The object also approached the Moon at a similar distance of 133,300 km (82,800 mi) the day before. It was the 18th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance (LD) since the start of 2018 and 6th closest. Five days earlier, a similar object, 2018 DU, came within 175,000 miles (284,000 km). However, the two encounters were unrelated and neither of them represent any hazard to the Earth (also see List of asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2018 § List).


2018 DV1, Orbit and classification, Close encounters, 2018 flyby
Hourly motion of asteroid across sky on 2 March 2018


2018 DV1, Orbit and classification, Close encounters, MOID and projections
2018 DV1 has a notably low minimum orbital intersection distance with Earth of 23,800 km (0.000159 AU), or 0.06 LD. The asteroid's next encounter with Earth will be on 26 February 2019 at a much larger distance of 51 LD (0.130 AU). It closest future approach is predicted to occur on 28 February 2064, then at a nominal distance of 24 LD (0.0628 AU).


2018 DV1, Physical characteristics
Based on a generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion, 2018 DV1 measures between 6 and 12 meters in diameter, for an absolute magnitude of 28.4, and an assumed albedo between 0.057 and 0.20, which represent typical values for carbonaceous and stony asteroids, respectively. As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of this object has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.


2018 DXC Technology 600
The 2018 DXC Technology 600 was the ninth round of the 2018 IndyCar Series season, contested over 248 laps at the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Josef Newgarden claimed his fourth pole and lead Team Penske 1-2-3, while Scott Dixon claimed his 43rd career win and took the championship lead.


2018 DXC Technology 600, Results, Race
Notes: Points include 1 point for leading at least 1 lap during a race, an additional 2 points for leading the most race laps, and 1 point for Pole Position.


2018 Dakar Rally
The 2018 Dakar Rally was the 40th edition of the event and the tenth successive year that the event was in South America. The event started in Lima, Peru on 6 January and ran through Argentina and Bolivia, finishing in Córdoba, Argentina on 20 January after 14 stages of competition.


2018 Dakar Rally, Summary
Stage 1 left from Lima on 6 January from the Army General Headquarters (the "Pentagonito") located in the district of San Borja, and extended 273 kilometers to the south, a few kilometers after Pisco taking the South Pan-American Highway. The competitive section consisted of a loop ran in the last 31 kilometers near Pisco. Among the incidents of the stage, the most highlighted was the serious accident suffered by the Portuguese driver Joaquim Rodrigues when he fell from a dune and fractured a lumbar vertebra.


2018 Dakar Rally, Summary
The oldest driver, 76-year old Yoshimasa Sugawara of Japan retired in his 35th Dakar Rally participation on Stage 2. The Toyota of driver Alicia Reina and co-driver Carlos Dante Pelayo, both of Argentina, was burned after catching fire during the Stage 3 in Pisco, Peru. Two-time winner Nani Roma of Spain also retired at the end of Stage 3 when he had sustained head and neck injuries in a crash.


2018 Dakar Rally, Summary
Big troubles on Stage 4 was for two of the favorites, Nasser Al-Attiyah (Team Toyota) and Cyril Despres (Team Peugeot) that have been significantly delayed. The bikes class leader and defending champion Sam Sunderland was airlifted to hospital by helicopter as he quit the race with a frightening back injury. Also, former Chelsea and Tottenham manager André Villas-Boas was taken to hospital when his car crashed into a sand dune, forcing him to retire from the rally.


2018 Dakar Rally, Summary
Notable retirement on Stage 5 was Sébastien Loeb (Peugeot Team Total) due to an injury of his co-driver Daniel Elena. In the quads category, defending champion Sergey Karyakin suffered a crash and broke his arm. Initially, Stage 5 in the truck category was won by class leader Eduard Nikolaev, but later Ayrat Mardeev and Dmitry Sotnikov received a compensation time and took first and second stage positions respectively.


2018 Dakar Rally, Summary
After the rest day, one of bike class favorites Joan Barreda won the Stage 7 by almost three minutes to creep ever closer to the overall lead, but sustained a knee injury. Car class leader Stéphane Peterhansel had a big troubles on Stage 7, hitting a rock that destroyed the left rear corner of his Peugeot and forced him to stop for almost two hours. Despite losing two positions in general standings, Peterhansel come back to fight with Carlos Sainz by winning Stage 8 in southern Bolivia. Stage 9 has been cancelled due to poor weather conditions in Argentina.