Voting ends on second day of lower house elections

Polling stations closed for the second and final day of elections to the Czech lower house of parliament at 1400 hours on Saturday. Voters have been voting to fill the 200-seat lower house for the next four years. Surveys throughout the campaign put the left of centre Social Democrats in the lead but well short of a majority in the house. That has fuelled speculation that although the Social Democrats might gain the most votes, a centre-right coalition featuring the Civic Democrats and newcomer parties TOP 09 and Public Affairs might be one possible outcome. Twenty five parties contested the elections, the fifth since the country was created from the split with Slovakia in 1993.

Author: Chris Johnstone