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President Miloš Zeman has officially announced his decision to run for a second, five-year, term in office. Although the field of declared candidates for the post is still small, political observers say the president will be a tough rival with the undisputed advantage of campaigning in office.

President Zeman’s decision to run for a second term in office was widely anticipated on the Czech political scene. And although the president has no party backing, and many are stressing the need for change, there is still no strong rival on the horizon to challenge him for the top post. I asked the head of the STEM polling agency Jan Hartl to assess how strong Mr. Zeman’s position is after four years in office and whether potential rivals stand any chance of replacing him.

The Prague restaurant Eska has been included in Michelin’s Main Cities of Europe Guide for 2017. The restaurant, located in the busy district of Karlín, received the Bib Gourmand award for places with “exceptional good food at moderate prices”. There are currently seven restaurants in the capital that boast a “Bib”, while three others have retained their one-star Michelin ranking. I asked food critic Petra Pospěchová what she thinks earned Eska the prestigious spot on the Bib Gourmand list:

Government leaders the Social Democrats are gearing up for a congress this weekend at which the party’s chairman, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, is expected to retain his post. But in general what shape are the party in with elections coming up in October? That’s a question Ian Willoughby put to political scientist Petr Just. He says the Social Democrats are the only coalition member “paying” for being in government with lower poll numbers – this hasn’t happened to the smaller parties, Andrej Babiš’s ANO or the Christian Democrats.

Alphonse Mucha’s cycle of paintings the Slav Epic has gone on display in the Japanese capital Tokyo. The exhibition is part of a Year of Czech Culture in Japan and is expected to attract several hundred thousand visitors.

March 8 is International Women’s Day and women’s organisations in the Czech Republic are using the occasion to highlight pay inequality and other issues. One event taking place on Wednesday is a gathering aligned with A Day Without a Woman, an international campaign urging women to go on strike for the day to call attention to the gender pay gap. I spoke to Petra Jelinková from Ženy, one of several young feminist groups taking part here in Prague.

A new poll conducted by SC&C for Charles University’s Faculty of Education suggests that only 40 percent of students training to be teachers take up the profession after graduation. The number one reason? Frankly, miserable wages. The findings are not really a surprise but serve as a renewed warning that changes are needed.

During an informal summit in Versailles on Monday the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain expressed support for a multi-speed Europe which would allow some EU member states to press ahead with integration faster than others. Those in the “slow lane” would restrict themselves to participation in the single market and co-operation on foreign and security policy. I spoke to Vít Beneš from the Institute for International Relations about what a two-tier Europe would mean.

This year’s Czech Lion film awards were dominated by A Prominent Patient, which picked up a record 12 gongs for its depiction of politician Jan Masaryk at a low ebb in the wake of the Munich crisis. Other winners included Wasteland, one of the most ambitious Czech TV series ever made.

The head of President Miloš Zeman’s foreign affairs office, Hynek Kmoníček, was confirmed this week as the next Czech ambassador to the United States. A career diplomat, who in the past served as ambassador to India and Australia, he is going to have to hit the ground running, as an upcoming visit by the Czech head of state and other officials are planned.