Prague - Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer proposed Zdenek Tuma, the governor of the Czech National Bank, for a post in the European Commission, the premier's office said Sunday. Fischer has said that he would select the Czech Republic's candidate for the European Union's executive if two major political parties fail to agree on a common nominee.
Their leaders, Mirek Topolanek of the centre-right Civic Democrats and his Social Democratic rival Jiri Paroubek, are to meet for talks with the premier later Sunday, the Civic Democratic Party said.
Fischer is expected to announce the Czech nomination after a regular cabinet session on Monday.
The two largest parties have so far only agreed on offering the EU job to the premier himself.
But Fischer, who heads a caretaker cabinet set to rule until a general election in spring 2010, declined the offer on Saturday. He urged the party leaders to continue talks on their nomination.
Tuma, 49, was first appointed the central bank chief in 2000 and is now serving his second term at the bank's helm.
The premier's office said in a statement that "as a life-long nonpartisan he has the best prospects to obtain political support" across the country's political spectrum.
Fischer's caretaker government took over on May 8, replacing Topolanek's three-party cabinet that had collapsed in the middle of the country's EU presidency that ended on June 30.
