PRAGUE (Reuters) - Russia-friendly Czech President Milos Zeman won the first round of voting to retain his job on Saturday, but pro-western runner-up Jiri Drahos will be a formidable opponent in the second round vote in two weeks, nearly complete results showed.

The vote is seen as a referendum on the 73-year-old Zeman, in office since 2013, who has criticized immigration flows from Muslim countries and Germany’s decision to accept many migrants.

While most Czechs share his views on immigration, Zeman’s inclination toward far-right groups and his warm relations with Russia and China have split public opinion, with a sizeable chunk of the electorate favoring pro-western candidates, including 68-year-old academic Drahos.

Czech presidents have limited executive powers, but Zeman and his predecessors have had a strong influence on public debate. They are also pivotal in forming governments — which the European Union and NATO member country is now trying to do.

With votes from 98.9 percent of districts counted, Zeman led the race with 38.6 percent of votes, while Drahos had won 26.6 percent.

That means a run-off needs to be held, and the balance of power may be closer than the first round showed. Four other candidates who ended between the third and sixth place and among them won 32.5 percent, all endorsed Drahos for the second round due on Jan. 26-27.

“This looks hopeful,” Drahos told supporters and reporters at a Prague theater after most results had come in. “By far the toughest game now awaits against Milos Zeman and his advisers... Come to vote, come to vote, come to vote.”

Zeman, who had shunned public debates ahead of the first round, accepted Drahos’ challenge to a television duel and said he hoped voters could make up their own mind.

“I assume citizens have their own opinion and their own reason. They are not puppets that can be manipulated by endorsement from whoever,” Zeman told reporters at his campaign headquarters.

Czech President Milos Zeman, next to his wife Ivana, attends a news conference, after polling stations closed for the country's direct presidential election, in Prague, the Czech Republic January 13, 2018. REUTERS/Matej Stransky/Pool

A win for the soft-spoken, grey-haired chemical engineer Drahos could mean the tone of the Czech leadership shifts closer to the EU mainstream.

“I voted for professor Drahos because I want someone who will not push us to the East and who will not be a disgrace,” said lawyer Matej Gredl, 30, after he voted in Prague.

The outcome may also influence Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s chances of forming a cabinet. His first attempt to rule in a minority administration is likely to be rejected by parliament next week.

Zeman has backed Babis and said he would give him another chance even though the billionaire businessman has struggled to get support from other parties while he battles police allegations that he illegally obtained EU subsidies a decade ago. Babis denies wrongdoing.

TOO SMALL WIN

A former center-left prime minister and backer of a federal Europe, Zeman has gradually shifted to positions criticizing the EU, echoing and reinforcing public sentiment.

He has won endorsements from some mainstream groups as well as the Communist Party and the main far-right anti-EU and anti-NATO SPD party.

“The first round result is a heavy blow for Milos Zeman, although he won it formally. It shows he doesn’t have much more where to take the votes,” said political scientist Josef Mlejnek jr.

“They will try to picture (Drahos) as a friend of migrants, an agent of the EU.”

Slideshow (11 Images)

The Czech Republic has a tiny Muslim minority and has seen only a few of the hundreds of thousands of people coming to Europe in recent years to seek safety from war or better life.

Zeman has sought more trade and closer ties with China and has warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling for the removal of EU sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea to boost business.

He has strong support mainly in the countryside of the nation of 10.6 million people, and often snipes at Prague elites and the media. Drahos said he needed to boost his visibility outside the capital - the only region he won - and would focus on that ahead of the second round.</s>Miloš Zeman has failed to win the Czech presidential election outright in the first round, he will probably lose in the second round





The final results in the first round of the Czech direct presidential election, which took place on Friday 12th January and on Saturday 13th January, show that the incumbent Miloš Zeman has received 38,56 per cent of the votes, his main opponent Jiří Drahoš has received 26, 60 per cent. Former diplomat Pavel Fischer received 10,23 per cent of the votes, Michal Horáček 9,18 per cent and Marek Hilšer 8,83 per cent.



Zeman would have won the first round outright had he received more than 50 per cent of the votes. This has not happened.



The results from the first round of the Czech presidential election indicate that the incumbent candidate Miloš Zeman will probably lose against his main opponent Jiří Drahoš in the second round, because most of the voters who have supported the anti-Zeman candidates in the first round will vote for Drahoš. 



Jiří Drahoš is a former Head of the Czech Academy of Sciences and is a pro-Western and pro-EU candidate, with right-of-centre leanings.



Vote participation in the first round of the 2018 Czech presidential election was 61, 89 per cent.



The second round of the Czech presidential election will take place in a fortnight.</s>Incumbent Czech President Milos Zeman is winning the first round of election on Saturday with 39.80 percent of the vote as over 90 percent of the votes have been counted, Sputnik reported.

His main opponent, Jiri Drahos, who is the former head of the Czech Academy of Sciences, has gained 26.02 percent, according to preliminary data.

If no candidate wins a majority, the run-off will be held on January 26-27.</s>MELBOURNE (Reuters) - The stark contrast in form between last year’s two first-time grand slam champions continued as Sloane Stephens was bundled out in the first round of the Australian Open, while Jelena Ostapenko stormed into round two on Monday.

American Stephens enjoyed a fairytale run to win the U.S. Open last year ranked 83rd in the world but has not won a match since -- a run that continued with a 2-6 7-6(2) 6-2 defeat by China’s Zhang Shuai on Margaret Court Arena.

Not that the 24-year-old was getting too down on herself.

“Even though I lost, I‘m not too sad. Everything is good. Relax, everybody. It will be okay. Don’t worry. We will get back to having fun soon,” she told reporters.

“Just give me a little bit to regroup and we will be okay.”

Unlike Stephens the 20-year-old Ostapenko, who blazed to the French Open title last June to become Latvia’s first grand slam champion, has suffered no such hangover.

She backed up her Paris exploits to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals and third round in New York, and looked every inch a title contender in a 6-1 6-4 defeat of Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone to open proceedings on Rod Laver Arena.

Ostapenko, who had an edition of 55,000 stamps printed in her honour last year, all of which were sold in a day, trailed in the second set against the 37-year-old 2010 French Open champion, but clicked into gear to move through.

The seventh seed had lost in the first round of both her tournaments so far this year, but back on one of the sport’s grandest stages, she shone.

“I really enjoy to play on all center courts, especially when there is a lot of people watching and supporting me, I really love that feeling,” Ostapenko, who reached the third round here last year, told reporters.

“Of course it’s tough, especially after winning at the age of 20. Everybody wants to beat you,” she said. “But on the other side, I have nothing to lose. I already won the grand slam. I just enjoy every match and show my best.”

The 24-year-old Stephens lacks the firepower of Ostapenko and while her defeat by Zhang was classified as a first-day surprise, it was quite predictable against an accurate opponent who just missed out on a seeding.

Stephens was assured in winning the first set and battled back from a break down in the second and served for the match at 5-4, only to be broken and dragged into a tiebreak.

Zhang, who reached the quarter-finals in 2016 as a qualifier, dominated the decider with her pinpoint groundstrokes to send the 13th seed spinning out.

Stephens was phlegmatic afterwards, laughing off questions about her loss of form.

”I wouldn’t call them tough times. Everyone is so depressed and so down,“ she said. ”I will have the best Instagram picture when I finally snap this losing streak.

“Tennis is definitely a roller coaster. But I have learned to just not panic.”</s>The Czech president, Miloš Zeman, led the first round of the Czech Republic’s presidential election on Saturday by a wide margin but short of winning outright, partial results have showed.

Eight candidates are seeking to oust Zeman, whose inclination toward far-right groups and cosy relations with Russia and China have split public opinion.

With 30.6% of voting districts counted, Zeman led the race with 42.9% of votes, while Jiří Drahoš, a 68-year-old pro-western academic, won 24.7%.

Unless the winner takes more than 50% in the first round, the two highest-scoring candidates will go head to head in a run-off planned for 26-27 January.

The vote is seen as a referendum on Zeman, 73, who has been in office since 2013. He has criticised migration from Muslim-majority countries as well as Germany’s decision to accept many migrants.

Czech presidents have limited executive powers but Zeman and his predecessors have had a strong influence on public debate. They are also pivotal in forming governments – which the European Union and NATO member country is now trying to do.

Zeman’s lead does not mean an easy win in the second round. Many voters may switch from their losing candidates to support the runner-up against Zeman.</s>MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Sloane Stephens became the first big casualty at this year’s Australian Open as the U.S. Open champion tumbled out in the first round against China’s Zhang Shuai.

The American 13th seed, who is without a win since her triumph at Flushing Meadows, looked assured as she took the opening set but Zhang hit back to win 2-6 7-6(2) 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena.

Stephens was not the only new member of the grand slam winners’ club in action on Monday, though French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko fared far better with 6-1 6-4 defeat of Italian Francesca Schiavone in the first match on Rod Laver Arena.

Schiavone, who won the French Open in 2010, threatened to take the second set before Latvian Ostapenko, seeded seven, clicked back into gear to ease through.

Stephens was assured in winning the first set but Zhang, who reached the quarter-finals in 2016 as a qualifier, found her rhythm and after taking the second set on a tiebreak dominated the decider with her American opponent wilting in the face of the pinpoint accuracy of the world number 34.

Stephens, who withdrew from the Brisbane warmup event with a right knee injury, reached the semi-finals in Melbourne in 2013 but lost in the first round in 2015 and 2016 and missed out through injury last year.</s>Czech President Milos Zeman arrives to cast a vote during the country’s direct presidential election at a polling station in Prague, the Czech Republic January 12, 2018. — Reuters picPRAGUE, Jan 13 — Incumbent Milos Zeman won the first round of the Czech Republic’s presidential election on Saturday with 39.80 percent of the vote, results from 90.3 per cent of voting districts showed.

The runner up was Jiri Drahos, a pro-Western academic, with 26.02 per cent, well ahead of the remaining seven contenders.

The two highest-scoring candidates will go head-to-head in a run-off planned for January 26-27. — Reuters</s>Czech President Milos Zeman has taken an early lead as votes are counted in the presidential election.With 30% of results in, he had 42% with nearest rival Jiri Drahos on 24%.

However, the BBC’s Rob Cameron in Prague says there are indications that the election will go to a second round later this month.

Mr Zeman, 73, is seeking a second five-year term but has stoked controversy with his outspoken views and pro-Russian stance.

Turnout in the first round, which took place over two days, was about 60%, election officials said.

Most of the early results came from rural areas where Mr Zeman’s support is high. To avoid a run-off he must win more than 50% of the vote, but observers say that is unlikely unless there are dramatic changes in urban results.

If a second round is confirmed, it is expected to be held on 26-27 January.

Mr Zeman’s forthright views on immigrants and political correctness have struck a chord in rural communities, our correspondent says.

However, urban voters are more likely to agree with his pro-European challengers, who say he has poisoned the political atmosphere and unsettled allies.

The first round of voting passed uneventfully apart from a semi-naked protester who tried to disrupt Mr Zeman casting his vote in Prague on Friday.

The topless woman from the feminist group Femen accused him of being in the pocket of Russian President Vladimir Putin. She was bundled away and Mr Zeman then cast his ballot, but was visibly shaken by the incident.

President Zeman has become one of the EU’s most outspoken opponents of sanctions against Moscow and has also made improving relations with China a priority.

Mr Drahos, a pro-European academic, has been forthright in his opposition to the president, saying: “We say in Czech that ‘the fish stinks from the head’ and that perfectly sums up Mr Zeman’s term.”</s>Voters in the Czech Republic were going to the polls on January 13 for a second day of voting in the country's presidential election.

Incumbent President Milos Zeman, 73, was facing a pack of nine challengers, headed by former Academy of Sciences President Jiri Drahos. Zeman is known for his anti-immigrant, pro-Russian, and pro-Chinese positions, while Drahos is seen as a pro-European liberal.

According to polls taken before the voting, Zeman was expected to win the first round, but seemed unlikely to win an outright majority. A second round of voting, if necessary, would be held January 26-27.

Other candidates include songwriter Michal Horachek, former right-wing Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, and former Skoda carmaker head Vratislav Kulhanek.

Preliminary results of the election were expected later on January 13.

When Zeman cast his ballot in Prague on January 12, he was rushed by a topless protester from Femen, an international radical feminist group that originated in Ukraine.

The woman, identified in a Femen statement as Angelina Dash, had the slogan, "Zeman, Putin's Slut" scrawled across her naked chest, a reference to Zeman's close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa</s>Incumbent Czech President Milos Zeman is winning the first round of election on Saturday with 39.80 percent of the vote as over 90 percent of the votes have been counted.

His main opponent, Jiri Drahos, who is the former head of the Czech Academy of Sciences, has gained 26.02 percent, according to preliminary data.

If no candidate wins a majority, the run-off will be held on January 26-27.

A total of nine candidates are running for the presidency.

READ MORE: Over Third of Czech Citizens to Support Incumbent President Zeman at 2018 Vote

Zeman has served as the Czech president since March 2013. He ran as the candidate from the Party of Civic Rights, which he founded in 2009.
The first round of the presidential election results in a second round that will be held on 26 and 27 January between Miloš Zeman and Jiří Drahoš.