Zeman, Schwarzenberg to go head-to-head for position of Czech president

Miloš Zeman and Karel Schwarzenberg will go into a two-candidate runoff in the first Czech direct presidential election in two weeks’ time. Mr. Zeman, a former prime minister, received 24.21 percent of the vote, followed by Mr. Schwarzenberg, who is foreign minister and chairman of the TOP 09 party, with 23.40 percent and Jan Fischer on 16.35 percent. Mr. Fischer, who is also a former prime minister, had been ahead in opinion polls for a long period but was overtaken by Mr. Zeman in the polls and seemed to lose a good deal of support in the final days before the first-round vote. Turnout in Friday and Saturday’s vote was 61 percent. The winner will succeed Václav Klaus, who steps down in early March.