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Czechs Face Stark Choice In Presidential Runoff

RFE/RL January 26, 2018

PRAGUE -- Czech voters will choose a president in a two-day runoff election that pits pro-European academic Jiri Drahos against ex-communist incumbent Milos Zeman.

Opinion surveys in the EU and NATO member state pointed to a tight race in the voting, which ends on January 27.

A poll by the Kantar TNS and Median agencies showed Zeman scoring 45.5 percent of the vote against 45 percent for Drahos.

Zeman, 73, has held the largely ceremonial post since 2013. He has courted controversy by voicing antimigrant views, denigrating Muslims, and warming up to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a time when many in Europe fear that Moscow is meddling in Western elections and affairs. He also seeks closer ties with China.

Drahos, 68, the former head of the Czech Academy of Sciences, is seen as a pro-European liberal. A political newcomer with no political party affiliation, Drahos says he is worried about the rise of extremism and populism.

In their final TV debate on January 25, Drahos and Zeman both spoke in favor of deeper EU cooperation and against refugee quotas.

Drahos called Zeman "a representative of the past political era...a symbol of division."

Drahos also said he saw Russia as a security threat because Moscow sees NATO as its adversary.

Zeman attacked Drahos's inexperience in politics, saying he "has no idea" about the "craft you have to learn for a long time."

Around 8.4 million Czechs were eligible to vote in the runoff, which was mandated after no candidate won a majority in the January 12-13 first round. Zeman was first with 38.6 percent of the vote, followed by Drahos with 26.6 per cent.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/czech-republic-presidential- runoff-election-zeman-drahos/28999950.htmll

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Czechs Face Stark Choice In Presidential Runoff