Zeman wins in party referendum

A public referendum on who should be the Social Democratic Party's candidate in the upcoming presidential elections has swung in favour of the former Prime Minister Milos Zeman. Over 25,000 people took part in the referendum, which was open to the general public. Milos Zeman topped the list winning close to half of the votes. The former justice minister Jaroslav Bures came second, followed by the Ombudsman Otakar Motejl. Although the Social Democrats said they would abide by public opinion, there is now controversy within the party over whether Milos Zeman would make a suitable presidential candidate. The party leadership is to vote on the matter within the next few days.