Czechia: on weekend 1st round presidential elections

In the Czech Republic the campaign for the presidential elections is reaching its acme these days: on Friday and next Saturday, Czechs will vote for the first round of the third direct election of the head of state who will replace outgoing Milos Zeman.

According to the latest polls, the next president will be chosen from a trio of contenders, including Andrej Babis, the former premier and leader of the populist ANO movement, General Petr Pavel, retired senior Nato and Czech army official, and Danuse Nerudova, former rector of Mendel University in Brno.

Unlike the other six candidates, these three have enjoyed double-digit support, averaging 26-27 percent over the past two months. In contrast, the undecided voters amount to 20-25 percent.

Presidential campaign analysts believe Babis' success in court, where the former prime minister was acquitted of fraud charges for misuse of European funds, will allow him to focus more on the first round. As a result, Babis would have a better chance of convincing those undecided to vote for him.

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