[3] The election was expected to be a two-way contest between Tomáš Pajonk and Jiří Payne,[4] but on 11 November 2017, former leader Petr Mach announced his candidacy.

[5] The results were announced on 19 November 2017, with Pajonk defeating Mach by a large margin.

The incumbent leader Petr Mach resigned afterwards,[7] and the election was scheduled for 12–18 November.

Tomáš Pajonk and Jiří Payne were the first prominent candidates to announce their candidacy.

[4] Mach eventually decided to run and announced his candidacy on 10 November 2017.