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Czech election: Milos Zeman leads in first round Czech election: Zeman faces presidential run-off against Drahos
(35 minutes later)
Czech President Milos Zeman has taken an early lead as votes are counted in the presidential election. The Czech presidential election will go to a run-off after incumbent Milos Zeman led the first round but did not secure enough votes to win outright.
With most results in, he had 39.3% with nearest rival Jiri Drahos on 26.2%. With nearly all results in, Mr Zeman had 39% ahead of his nearest rival Jiri Drahos on 26.3%. Turnout was 61%.
However, the BBC's Rob Cameron in Prague says there are indications that the election will go to a second round later this month.
Mr Zeman, 73, is seeking a second five-year term but has stoked controversy with his outspoken views and pro-Russian stance.Mr Zeman, 73, is seeking a second five-year term but has stoked controversy with his outspoken views and pro-Russian stance.
Turnout in the first round, which took place over two days, was about 60%, election officials said. The second round is scheduled for 26-27 January.
Most of the early results came from rural areas where Mr Zeman's support is high. To avoid a run-off he must win more than 50% of the vote, but observers say that is unlikely unless there are dramatic changes in urban results. The BBC's Rob Cameron in Prague says Mr Zeman appears to have done worse than expected in rural areas, where his forthright views on immigrants and political correctness have traditionally struck a chord. To avoid a run-off, he needed to secure more than half the vote.
If a second round is confirmed, it is expected to be held on 26-27 January. Mr Drahos knows he has a good chance of unseating Mr Zeman when the two men go head to head in two weeks' time, he adds.
Mr Zeman's forthright views on immigrants and political correctness have struck a chord in rural communities, our correspondent says. Many voters who chose one of the other seven candidates are likely to switch their allegiance to Mr Drahos in the second round.
However, urban voters are more likely to agree with his pro-European challengers, who say he has poisoned the political atmosphere and unsettled allies.
The first round of voting passed uneventfully apart from a semi-naked protester who tried to disrupt Mr Zeman casting his vote in Prague on Friday.
The topless woman from the feminist group Femen accused him of being in the pocket of Russian President Vladimir Putin. She was bundled away and Mr Zeman then cast his ballot, but was visibly shaken by the incident.
President Zeman has become one of the EU's most outspoken opponents of sanctions against Moscow and has also made improving relations with China a priority.President Zeman has become one of the EU's most outspoken opponents of sanctions against Moscow and has also made improving relations with China a priority.
Mr Drahos, a pro-European academic, has been forthright in his opposition to the president, saying: "We say in Czech that 'the fish stinks from the head' and that perfectly sums up Mr Zeman's term."Mr Drahos, a pro-European academic, has been forthright in his opposition to the president, saying: "We say in Czech that 'the fish stinks from the head' and that perfectly sums up Mr Zeman's term."
Who are the main contenders? The first round of voting, which took place over two days, passed uneventfully apart from a semi-naked protester who tried to disrupt Mr Zeman casting his vote in Prague on Friday and accused him of being in the pocket of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
She was bundled away and Mr Zeman then cast his ballot, but was visibly shaken by the incident.
Who's who in Czech run-off?
Milos ZemanMilos Zeman
Jiri DrahosJiri Drahos