"Karel for President" is the slogan heard in Prague among youthful supporters of Karel Schwarzenberg, a 75-year-old scion of an Austrian aristocratic family.
After two years as foreign minister in a centre-right, three-way coalition government, the conservative politician has become the candidate for youthful Czechs of liberal bent.
The pro-austerity policies of his TOP 09 party have however drawn criticism from trade unionists and social associations.
Acquaintances describe the pipe-smoking aristocrat as a lively conversationalist. "He enjoys going into pubs and cafes to speak to people there," Prague economist Tomas Sedlacek says.
Known as the "prince," Schwarzenberg went into exile as a child when the communists took power in 1948, his family settling living in Vienna, where he became involved in support for Eastern European dissidents.
After the fall of communism in 1989 he returned to Prague, working closely with dissident-turned-president Vaclav Havel.
Schwarzenberg sees himself as a dedicated European and was thus a sharp critic of the outgoing eurosceptic President Vaclav Klaus. He also backs close ties to the United States.