Two rounds of voting fail to produce new head of state
Two rounds of voting fail in the Czech presidential election failed to produce a new head of state on Friday evening. Neither the incumbent, Václav Klaus, nor his challenger Czech-American economist Jan Švejnar were able to secure majorities in both houses of Parliament in Friday’s joint-session. In the first round, Mr Klaus received a majority in the Senate with 47 senators voting for him, while his challenger won a majority in the Chamber of Deputies. A second round followed shortly afterwards, also proving inconclusive. Both candidates, however, have made it to the third a final round of the election, now set for Saturday.
Lawmakers from both houses of Parliament will reconvene their joint-session at Prague Castle at 10 am to try and elect the new president. Unlike the first two rounds in which a majority in both houses is needed to win, the third pools votes from both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.