Zeman at the head after closing polling stations

prague - According to the first results of the presidential elections in the Czech Republic, Czech president Milos Zeman is leading. He has more than 40 percent of the votes, after approximately half of the constituencies had passed on the results. In the second place Jiri Drahos is behind with about a quarter of the voters. The remaining candidates are far behind, as appears after the close-up Saturday afternoon of the polling stations.

If a candidate gets more than half the votes on Saturday, there will be no second round of 26 and 27 January. The president does not only have a ceremonial role in the Czech Republic. He has a lot of power in the government and shares tasks with the prime minister. The current Prime Minister Andrej Babis leads a minority government based mainly on support from Zeman.

His predecessors were elected by the parliament. The conservative Zeman is fiercely controversial by radical statements, suspected drunkenness and his pro-Russian attitude. He has turned against immigration and Islam and is considered to be right-wing populist. He acts as the guardian of the interests of the common man and has plans for referendums on membership of the EU and NATO.

The 68-year-old chemistry professor Drahos wants the country to attach more to the West. He thinks Zeman should leave because of his pro-Russian attitude. Zeman would also have created 'a climate of bluntness, incompetence and corruption' in Czech politics. In his own words, Drahos wants to restore 'the moral authority' of the country and government and to focus the country's gaze on Western Europe. According to some opinion pollers, Zeman would win the first round, but in a second round it could still compete against Drahos.