Czech presidential election second round will apparently be Drahoš v Zeman
After the vote in the Czech Republic being counted in 75 % of precincts the results seem to be that the incumbent, Miloš Zeman, is the front-runner, with challenger Jiří Drahoš in second place. Pavel Fischer, Marek Hilšer and Michal Horáček came in third, fourth and fifth, according to the preliminary results on the election coverage website of the Czech Statistical Bureau.
Zeman, according to the preliminary outcomes, was chosen by 40.81 % of voters and Drahoš by 25.59 %. Fischer, Hilšer and Horáček each won more than 8 % of the vote, with just tenths of percentage points dividing them.
Voter turnout was reported at 59.42 %. None of the pre-election surveys indicated that the incumbent or his rivals could have been elected by a majority of the ballots during the first round.
According to estimates by election commissioners, three-fifths of registered voters turned out. Apparently the highest voter turnout was in Prague, where two-thirds of registered voters went to the polls on average.
In the Karlovy Vary Region, on the other hand, just about 50 % of registered voters turned out. The Czech Statistical Bureau presumes it will be able to publish the final results by this evening.
Voter turnout in each area will affect the timing of the final results. They will be given an official form at the beginning of next week, apparently on Tuesday.
The results must be announced in the Collection of Laws by the State Election Commission, which will convene one day before in order to certify the results. Czech Deputy Interior Minister Petr Mlsna confirmed to the Czech News Agency that any eventual complaints about the first round of voting will have to wait until after the next President is chosen by the final round of ballots two weeks from now.
