Image copyright EPA Image caption Milos Zeman has won a second five-year term in office

Czech President Milos Zeman has won a second term in office following a tight run-off vote against rival Jiri Drahos.

Mr Zeman, who fiercely opposes immigration and objects to EU sanctions against Russia, took 52% of the vote to beat Mr Drahos, a pro-EU academic with no prior political experience.

Voter turnout on Saturday was over 66%.

The role of the Czech president is influential; Mr Zeman can name the prime minister and sign bills passed by parliament into law.

He has promised to give Prime Minister Andrej Babis, a billionaire businessman, a second chance to form a government after his minority cabinet lost a confidence vote in parliament last week.

Mr Zeman's current presidency does not end until March, so he plans to reappoint Mr Babis next month.

His position also allows him to appoint central bank board members and judges.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Drahos had picked up endorsements from eliminated candidates

The presidential election has reflected divisions between low-income voters with lower education and those living in rural areas, who tend to vote for Mr Zeman, and wealthier and well-educated residents of bigger cities, who are likely to prefer Mr Drahos, correspondents say.

Mr Drahos has never belonged to any political party but he told the BBC that he wanted to "end the climate of populism and fear in Czech society" that has marked Mr Zeman's presidency.

In contrast to Mr Zeman, the 68-year-old Mr Drahos is a supporter of EU and Nato membership, however he opposes the EU's quota system for distributing migrants.

Blow to liberals

Rob Cameron, BBC News, Prague

In the end just 175,000 votes separated the two men as Milos Zeman, one of Europe's most outspoken leaders, won a second term in office.

The result was a blow to liberal, pro-European voters who believed Jiri Drahos could bring about a change in Czech politics. It was vindication for those who believe in Mr Zeman's ability to shield the country from immigration and militant Islam.

But there are persistent concerns about his health; suffering from diabetes, he can now barely walk unaided.

There was prolonged applause when Mr Drahos said he and his team would "carry on" - no-one's sure yet exactly what that means.

Who is Milos Zeman?

Image copyright EPA

Milos Zeman, 73</s>The Czech Republic's pro-Russia president won a second five-year term Saturday after beating a political newcomer viewed as more Western-oriented in a runoff vote.

President Milos Zeman's victory confirmed the political direction set during the country's parliamentary election, the result of which was seen as part of an anti-establishment wave sweeping Western democracies.

Zeman is a close ally of populist billionaire Andrej Babis, whose ANO (YES) movement scored a landslide victory in the October election. With the two men in charge, the Czech Republic is likely to become more critical of European Union policies on issues such as immigration.

"We can expect the government to be less pro-Western than the previous government," Josef Mlejnek, a scholar of democracy and Central Europe at Prague's Charles University said.

With all the votes counted, the Czech Statistics Office said Zeman received 51.4 percent of the vote during the two-day runoff election.

His opponent, former Czech Academy of Sciences head Jiri Drahos, whose views are closer to the European mainstream, garnered 48.6 percent.

The Czech Constitution limits presidents to two terms. Appearing before supporters Saturday, Zeman, 73, called his win "my last political victory" and said "no political loss will follow."

He pledged "to work as I have worked so far."

Drahos conceded defeat and congratulated Zeman on Saturday afternoon. The career scientist and chemistry professor said he planned to stay in politics, but did not provide details.

"It's not over," Drahos said.

Zeman, a veteran of Czech politics and former left-wing prime minister, won his first term in 2013 during the Czech Republic's first presidential election decided by voters, not lawmakers.

Since then, he has divided the nation with his pro-Russia stance, support for closer ties with China, and strong anti-migrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Zeman was one of the few European leaders to endorse Donald Trump's bid for the White House. He also has proposed a referendum on the Czech Republic's membership in the European Union like the one held in Britain.

Drahos, 68, who led the Academy of Sciences from 2009 until last year, campaigned on maintaining the country's ties to the EU and NATO. He ran unaffiliated with a political party.

One of the Czech president's key responsibilities is picking the prime minister after a general election, power that was on display in the days before the runoff election.

The government led by Babis resigned Wednesday after failing to win a confidence vote. Zeman immediately asked Babis to try again.

The two men both have criticized EU sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea.

The president also appoints members of the Central Bank board and selects Constitutional Court judges with the approval of Parliament's upper house.

Otherwise, the president has little direct executive power since the country is run by a government chosen and led by the prime minister.

Zeman is considered a leading pro-Russian voice in EU politics. His views on the conflict in eastern Ukraine, as well as Europe's migrant crisis, diverge sharply from the European mainstream. He called Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula irreversible.

"This policy of Zeman is unlikely to change," Charles University's Mlejnek said.

The Czech president also has linked extremist attacks in Europe to the ongoing influx of newcomers, called the immigration wave an "organized invasion" and repeatedly said that Islam is incompatible with European culture.

Those views won him Babis' support, as well as backing from the most anti-Muslim, anti-EU party in the Czech Republic — Freedom and Direct Democracy — and the far-left Communist Party.

"It's an excellent result," Freedom and Direct Democracy chairman Tomio Okamura said of Zeman's re-election.

Zeman has exploited widespread fear of migration among Czechs and worked to portray Drahos as someone who would welcome migrants.

A group of Zeman's supporters commissioned billboards and newspaper ads that called on citizens to "Stop Migrants and Drahos," adding "This is our land! Vote Zeman!"

Some pro-Russian websites spread fake news about Drahos during the campaign, according to the Prague Security Studies Institute, a respected think tank.

The false information alleged that he cooperated with the Communist-era secret police and was willing to accept an EU plan to redistribute asylum-seekers among member countries, the institute said.

Zeman is the Czech Republic's third president, after Vaclav Havel and Vaclav Klaus, since the country and Slovakia were created from Czechoslovakia in 1993.</s>PRAGUE -- The Czech Republic's pro-Russia president won a second five-year term Saturday after beating a political newcomer viewed as more Western-oriented in a runoff vote. With ballots from almost 99 percent of polling stations counted, the Czech Statistics Office said President Milos Zeman had received 51.6 percent of the vote during the two-day runoff election. His opponent, former Czech Academy of Sciences head Jiri Drahos, had 48.4 percent.

Drahos conceded defeat and congratulated Zeman on Saturday afternoon. The career scientist and chemistry professor said he planned to stay in politics, but did not provide details.

"It's not over," Drahos said.

Zeman, 73, a veteran of Czech politics and former left-wing prime minister, won his first term in 2013 during the Czech Republic's first presidential election decided by voters, not lawmakers. Since then, he has divided the nation with his pro-Russia stance, support for closer ties with China, and strong anti-migrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Zeman was one of the few European leaders to endorse Donald Trump's bid for the White House. He also has proposed a referendum on the Czech Republic's membership in the European Union like the one held in Britain.

When casting his vote Friday, Zeman said his opponent, Drahos, lacked experience, the BBC reports.

"My opponent is someone who has not yet praised politics," he said.

Drahos, 68, who led the Academy of Sciences from 2009 until last year, campaigned on maintaining the country's ties to the EU and NATO. He ran unaffiliated with a political party.

One of the Czech president's key responsibilities is picking the prime minister after a general election, power that was on display in the days before the runoff election.

The government led by populist billionaire Andrej Babis since his party placed first in an October election resigned Wednesday after failing to win a confidence vote. Zeman immediately asked Babis, his ally, to try again.

The president had said that even if he lost the election, he would swear Babis in again as prime minister before his term expired on March 8. The president also appoints members of the Central Bank board and selects Constitutional Court judges with the approval of Parliament's upper house.

Otherwise, the president has little direct executive power since the country is run by a government chosen and led by the prime minister.

Zeman is considered a leading pro-Russian voice in EU politics. His views on the conflict in eastern Ukraine, as well as Europe's migrant crisis, diverge sharply from the European mainstream. He called Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula irreversible.

He has linked extremist attacks in Europe to the ongoing influx of newcomers, called the immigration wave an "organized invasion" and repeatedly said that Islam is not compatible with European culture.

Zeman has exploited widespread fear of migration among Czechs and worked to portray Drahos as someone who would welcome migrants.

A group of Zeman's supporters commissioned billboards and newspaper ads that called on citizens to "Stop Migrants and Drahos," adding "This is our land! Vote Zeman!"

Zeman is the Czech Republic's third president, after Vaclav Havel and Vaclav Klaus, since the country and Slovakia were created from Czechoslovakia in 1993.

The vote highlighted divisions between low-income voters and well-educated, wealthier residents of larger cities, who were likely to prefer Drahos, the BBC reported.</s>Milos Zeman, an outspoken immigration critic and admirer of Russia's Vladimir Putin, has won a second five-year term as president of the Czech Republic.

Zeman defeated political newcomer Jiri Drahos in the central European country's presidential runoff election that ended Saturday.

Zeman took 51.4 percent of the vote against Drahos' 48.6 percent, according to the Czech Statistical Office, with turnout at 66.6 percent.

It's a victory for advocates of closer ties between the Czech Republic and Russia and China. Drahos, 68, a chemist and academic, had advocated improving ties with the European Union and NATO.

Zeman was an early supporter of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election.

The 73-year-old Zeman is "probably openly the most anti-immigration and anti-Muslim top politician in Europe," Jiri Pehe of New York University in Prague told CNN. Zeman has called for an end to EU sanctions against Russia and has proposed a referendum on the Czech Republic leaving the EU.

Zeman's supporters tended to be more rural while Drahos tended to have more support in cities.

"Zeman very clearly established his anti-immigration position and that decided the election," Jakub Charvat of the Metropolitan University in Prague told Bloomberg. "He appealed to voters with lower income and lower education levels who felt they finally had someone in the highest echelons of politics who defends them."

The presidency is a mostly ceremonial post, but it includes the power to appoint the Czech prime minister. Zeman plans to reappoint Prime Minister Andrej Babis, according to the BBC.</s>PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic's pro-Russia president won a second five-year term Saturday after beating a political newcomer viewed as more Western-oriented in a runoff vote.

With ballots from almost all polling stations counted, the Czech Statistics Office said President Milos Zeman had received 51.5 percent of the vote during the two-day runoff election.

His opponent, former Czech Academy of Sciences head Jiri Drahos, garnered 48.5 percent.

The Czech Constitution limits presidents to two terms. Appearing before supporters Saturday, Zeman, 73, called his win "my last political victory" and said "no political loss will follow."

He pledged "to work as I have worked so far."

Drahos conceded defeat and congratulated Zeman on Saturday afternoon. The career scientist and chemistry professor said he planned to stay in politics, but did not provide details.

"It's not over," Drahos said.

Zeman, a veteran of Czech politics and former left-wing prime minister, won his first term in 2013 during the Czech Republic's first presidential election decided by voters, not lawmakers.

Since then, he has divided the nation with his pro-Russia stance, support for closer ties with China, and strong anti-migrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Zeman was one of the few European leaders to endorse Donald Trump's bid for the White House. He also has proposed a referendum on the Czech Republic's membership in the European Union like the one held in Britain.

Drahos, 68, who led the Academy of Sciences from 2009 until last year, campaigned on maintaining the country's ties to the EU and NATO. He ran unaffiliated with a political party.

One of the Czech president's key responsibilities is picking the prime minister after a general election, power that was on display in the days before the runoff election.

The government led by populist billionaire Andrej Babis since his party placed first in an October election resigned Wednesday after failing to win a confidence vote. Zeman immediately asked Babis, his ally, to try again.

The president had said that even if he lost the election, he would swear Babis in again as prime minister before his term expired on March 8.

The president also appoints members of the Central Bank board and selects Constitutional Court judges with the approval of Parliament's upper house.

Otherwise, the president has little direct executive power since the country is run by a government chosen and led by the prime minister.

Zeman is considered a leading pro-Russian voice in EU politics. His views on the conflict in eastern Ukraine, as well as Europe's migrant crisis, diverge sharply from the European mainstream. He called Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula irreversible.

He has linked extremist attacks in Europe to the ongoing influx of newcomers, called the immigration wave an "organized invasion" and repeatedly said that Islam is not compatible with European culture.

Zeman has exploited widespread fear of migration among Czechs and worked to portray Drahos as someone who would welcome migrants.

A group of Zeman's supporters commissioned billboards and newspaper ads that called on citizens to "Stop Migrants and Drahos," adding "This is our land! Vote Zeman!"

Some pro-Russian websites spread fake news about Drahos during the campaign, according to the Prague Security Studies Institute, a respected think tank.

The false information alleged that he cooperated with the Communist-era secret police and was willing to accept an EU plan to redistribute asylum-seekers among member countries, the institute said.

Zeman is the Czech Republic's third president, after Vaclav Havel and Vaclav Klaus, since the country and Slovakia were created from Czechoslovakia in 1993.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Milos Zeman narrowly wins over his pro-European liberal rival Jiri Drahos in a runoff election

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Pro-Russian incumbent Milos Zeman was re-elected Czech president on Saturday, January 28, narrowly outpacing his pro-European liberal rival Jiri Drahos in a tight run-off that underscored deep divisions in the EU and NATO state.

The populist ex-communist Zeman took 51.55 percent of the vote against 48.44 percent for Drahos, with 99.32 percent of ballots counted, Czech Television reported quoting official results.

Political analyst Jiri Pehe told Agence France-Presse (AFP) the results reflected the "very deep polarisation" of Czech society which is "split down the middle" along rural-urban and populist-liberal lines, echoing divisions elsewhere in Europe and in the US.

A former leftist prime minister, the 73-year-old Zeman represents poorer and rural voters with a lower level of education, while academic and political novice Drahos, 68, appeals to wealthier, well-educated urbanites.

"It's not only between Prague and other big cities on one side and the rest of the country, but also a polarization of world views, between people open to the outside world and modernization, and those rooted in the past," Pehe told AFP. (READ: East-west clash as Czechs vote for new president)

"We see that half of society is afraid of the outside world, globalization and its challenges."

Zeman's victory comes amid a political crisis as billionaire populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis is fighting police charges of EU subsidy fraud that are hampering his ability to form a government.

In the wake of the 2015 migrant crisis in Europe, the vehemently anti-Muslim Zeman staunchly opposed EU quotas designed to distribute asylum seekers across the bloc.

Even though the country of 10.6 million people has only received 12 migrants under the EU quota system, migration was a key campaign issue.

Zeman's stance on the European Union echoes other populist politicians in Poland and Hungary who are at odds with Brussels over mandatory refugee quotas and various rules which they see as attempts to limit national sovereignty.

He once called the 2015 migrant crisis "an organized invasion" of Europe, claiming Muslims were "impossible to integrate".

Billboards across the Czech Republic sought to appeal to voters with anti-migrant messages: "Stop immigrants and Drahos. This is our country. Vote Zeman!"

According to Pehe, his position cast Zeman as "the defender of Czech national interests in the eyes of his supporters."

The pro-European Drahos had also opposed the EU quota system but had insisted the Czech Republic was strong enough to accept its allotted 2,600 refugees.

In the final days of campaigning Drahos underscored his concerns about possible Russian meddling in the campaign, saying that "for (Russian President) Vladimir Putin's regime, NATO is the biggest enemy and we are part of NATO."

Petr Vasicek, a Prague artist, told AFP that he chose the "educated and intelligent" Drahos over Zeman who is "pro-Russian and pro-Chinese, which I don't like at all."

Zeman has repeatedly called on the EU to lift its sanctions on Russia over its 2014 takeover of Crimea from Ukraine.

Voter Daniel Hajek said he had chosen Zeman "because he's opening the door to economic cooperation with countries like Russia and China.

"It's important for us, for jobs; our country is at the heart of Europe but we can't go in just one direction," he said in Prague.

Europe's fifth-biggest carmaker is dependent on auto exports, mainly to the eurozone, and its economy is expected to expand by 3.4 percent this year.

Running under the slogan "Decency is a strength," Drahos, a 68-year-old professor of chemical engineering who is a newcomer to politics, could not have been more different.

Zeman is diabetic, walks with a cane and is known to be a heavy drinker and smoker while Drahos cuts a trim figure.

A mild-mannered centrist whom critics have branded "wishy-washy", Drahos wanted Prague to "play a more active role in the EU" and backs joining the eurozone.

Drahos fought off allegations of paedophilia and having been a communist police agent, suggesting the accusations were a smear campaign by Russian intelligence with links to Zeman.

Although largely ceremonial, the president's role is influential. He can appoint the prime minister and government, central bank board members, judges and university professors, and sign bills passed by parliament into laws.

Czech TV pegged turnout for round two at 66.55 percent, against 59 percent for the last presidential ballot in 2013. – Rappler.com</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

4 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

Pro-EU academic Jiri Drahos is seeking to unseat anti-immigration political veteran Milos Zeman, who has sought closer relations with Russia and China, in a tight run-off of the Czech presidential election starting on Friday.

PRAGUE: Pro-EU academic Jiri Drahos is seeking to unseat anti-immigration political veteran Milos Zeman, who has sought closer relations with Russia and China, in a tight run-off of the Czech presidential election starting on Friday.

Many see the vote as a referendum on the incumbent Zeman, 73, a former centre-left prime minister who has shifted sharply to the right, with a brash style that has divided the EU nation.

As well as leading calls against accepting migrants from mainly Muslim countries, he has focused on building ties with Beijing and Moscow, including calling for the removal of EU sanctions imposed over Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea.

The election mirrors divisions between more socially liberal and conservative camps that have featured in votes around Europe and also the United States. Zeman declared support for U.S. President Donald Trump before Trump's election in 2016, a rare position among leaders in Europe.

In a final poll released on Monday, Drahos led with 47 percent to 43 percent for Zeman, while 10 percent were undecided. Bookmakers have however tilted their odds in favour of Zeman's victory.

The president, elected for five years, is not involved in day-to-day politics but appoints central bankers and judges, and picks which politician can form a government - a process the Czech Republic has been going through since an inconclusive election last year.

Zeman has the backing of Prime Minister Andrej Babis, a businessman who rules in caretaker capacity after his minority cabinet lost a confidence vote in parliament last week.

Zeman, whose term does not end until March 7, has pledged to give Babis a second chance to form a government regardless of the election result, although a Drahos victory would mean the process could be rushed.

Babis's party won more than three times as many seats in parliament as its closest rival in the election in October, but is still short of a majority and has been unable to find a coalition partner so far.

Zeman has benefited from rising Czech hostility to immigration, although the country received just 116 asylum applications between January and November last year.

Opposition to an EU plan to redistribute asylum seekers around the bloc has tipped many Czechs against the EU. A Eurobarometer poll last year showed the Czechs were the most eurosceptic nation among all 28 member states.

Zeman's opponent Drahos, 68, a chemistry professor and former head of the Academy of Sciences, has also rejected the refugee quotas. He has however taken a strongly pro-European stance and favours deeper European integration.

Drahos and Zeman both spoke in favour of deeper EU cooperation and against refugee quotas in a final television debate on Thursday night.

Drahos attacked Zeman over his two closest aides who both lack security clearance, one of whom has done business in Russia and has appeared in photos in Czech media carrying a mobile phone with a portrait of Vladimir Putin stuck on the case.

"I am a candidate who looks into the future. Milos Zeman has nothing left to give to this country, but his advisers can still take away from it," Drahos said.

Drahos also said he saw Russia as a security threat because it sees NATO, to which the Czechs belong, as its adversary. Zeman said it was not, and attacked Drahos for inexperience.

"It is quite courageous to aspire for the highest post in the country and know nothing about politics," he said.

In the first round of voting, Zeman won 38.6 percent and Drahos scored 26.6 percent. But since then, Drahos has won endorsements from most of the other candidates who were eliminated in the first round.

"For me, the president is a representative personality first of all, and he (Drahos) would be good at that," said office worker Drahomira Cerna.</s>Pro-Russian incumbent Milos Zeman was re-elected Czech president on Saturday, narrowly outpacing his pro-European liberal rival Jiri Drahos in a knife-edge runoff that underscored deep divisions in the European Union and NATO state.

The Kremlin was quick to offer its congratulations in a statement, saying that "Vladimir Putin emphasized Russia's appreciation for Mr. Zeman's stance favoring friendly Russian-Czech relations."

The populist ex-communist Zeman took 51.36 percent of the vote against 48.63 percent for Drahos, Czech Television reported, quoting full official results.

Czech TV pegged turnout for round two at 66.6 percent, the highest figure since parliamentary elections in 1998.

Political analyst Jiri Pehe told AFP the outcome reflected the "very deep polarization" of Czech society, which is "split down the middle" along rural-urban and populist-liberal lines, echoing divisions elsewhere in Europe and in the U.S.

A former leftist prime minister, Zeman, 73, represents poorer and rural voters with a lower level of education, while academic and political novice Drahos, 68, appeals to wealthier, well-educated urbanites.

Zeman's victory came amid a political crisis as billionaire populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis — dubbed the "Czech Trump" — is fighting police charges of EU subsidy fraud that are hampering his ability to form a government.

Speaking to a jubilant crowd at his Prague campaign headquarters, a jovial Zeman vowed to give political ally Babis plenty of time to cobble together a government.

He also struck an overtly populist tone by insisting that the "intelligence of journalists ... [and] some politicians is significantly lower than that of normal citizens."

Congratulating Zeman on his narrow win, Drahos told backers in Prague that "we haven't won, but we haven't lost either," pledging he would not retreat from public life.

In the wake of the 2015 migrant crisis in Europe, the anti-Muslim Zeman staunchly opposed EU quotas designed to distribute asylum seekers across the bloc.

Even though the country of 10.6 million people has received only 12 migrants under the EU quota system, migration was a key campaign issue.

Zeman's stance on the European Union echoes those of other populist politicians in Poland and Hungary who are at odds with Brussels over the refugee quotas and various rules that they see as attempts to limit national sovereignty.

He once called the 2015 migrant crisis "an organized invasion" of Europe, claiming Muslims were "impossible to integrate."

'This is our country'

Billboards across the Czech Republic sought to appeal to voters with anti-migrant messages: "Stop immigrants and Drahos. This is our country. Vote Zeman!"

According to Pehe, his position cast Zeman as "the defender of Czech national interests in the eyes of his supporters."

The pro-European Drahos had also opposed the EU quota system but had insisted the Czech Republic was strong enough to accept its allotted 2,600 refugees.

Drahos underscored his concerns about possible Russian meddling in the campaign, saying that "for [Russian President] Vladimir Putin's regime, NATO is the biggest enemy and we are part of NATO."

Petr Vasicek, a Prague artist, told AFP that he chose the "educated and intelligent" Drahos over Zeman, who is "pro-Russian and pro-Chinese, which I don't like at all."

Zeman has repeatedly called on the EU to lift its sanctions on Russia over its 2014 takeover of Crimea from Ukraine.

Voter Daniel Hajek said he had chosen Zeman "because he's opening the door to economic cooperation with countries like Russia and China.

 

 "It's important for us, for jobs; our country is at the heart of Europe but we can't go in just one direction," he said in Prague.

Europe's fifth-biggest carmaker is dependent on auto exports, mainly to the eurozone, and its economy is expected to expand by 3.4 percent this year.

Running under the slogan "Decency is a strength," Drahos, a mild-mannered 68-year-old professor of chemical engineering who cuts a trim figure, could not have been more different from Zeman, who is diabetic, walks with a cane and has become known as a heavy drinker and smoker.

Drahos fought off allegations of pedophilia and having been a communist police agent, suggesting the accusations were a smear campaign by Russian intelligence with links to Zeman.

The president appoints the prime minister, central bank board members and judges and signs bills passed by parliament into law.</s>Czech President Milos Zeman reacts as he defeated pro-EU academic Jiri Drahos in the presidential election in Prague, Czech Republic, January 27, 2018. Photo by Reuters/Stringer

Czech President Milos Zeman won a second term in a presidential election on Saturday, gaining the backing of voters for his tough stance against immigration and his courtship of Russia and China.

In the run-off against strongly pro-European Union academic Jiri Drahos, Zeman scored 51.4 percent to 48.6 percent for his challenger.

Zeman, 73, is the last prominent figure among active politicians from the country's post-communist transitional period in the 1990s, and has shifted from being a centre-left prime minister 16 years ago to being a president with leanings toward the far-right.

The vote showed Czech voters' concerns over security despite a period of fast economic growth and rising wages. Immigration was a key issue, more than two years after the European Union first faced a major influx of refugees - almost none of whom ever appeared in the Czech Republic.

The result will also influence the formation of the next Czech government, with Zeman one of the few political backers of Prime Minister Andrej Babis, whose minority cabinet lost a confidence vote this month due to fraud allegations hanging over the billionaire businessman.

Zeman has been a polarising force, publicly belittling opponents and sniping at intellectual elites and the media. He was one of the few European politicians to back Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

He has upset many with his warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and calls to end EU sanctions against Moscow imposed over its annexation of Crimea.

His stance toward Brussels has been lukewarm. He calls himself a federalist and supports membership of the EU while also favouring holding an in-or-out referendum, like the one that led to Britain's impending exit.

Speaking to supporters after claiming victory, Zeman said he would continue travelling the country to meet citizens and hear their worries.

"This is my last political victory, there will be no political defeats," he told the crowd, flanked by advisers and the leaders of the far-right, anti-EU and anti-NATO SPD party and the Social Democrat party that he once led.

Zeman has benefited from rising hostility to immigration, especially to people coming from Muslim states, although the country of 10.6 million received just 116 asylum applications between January and November last year and has only a tiny Muslim community.

Both candidates rejected the EU's refugee quotas, but Drahos was labelled weaker on the issue in attack ads in the last week by Zeman supporters.

"People around Milos Zeman ... managed to incite fear, a very strong emotion, which is much more important than reason," political analyst Tomas Lebeda said.

The two presidential candidates were as different personally as politically. Zeman has a self-advertised appetite for alcohol and tobacco and his health is a concern - he suffers from diabetes, and walks with a stick.

Drahos is a soft-spoken chemistry professor who promised a stronger voice in the EU, reversing the country's aloofness that has put it closer to Poland and Hungary - two states often at loggerheads with the bloc's executive.

"We did not win, but we didn't lose either. I am terribly happy for this huge wave of energy," Drahos told supporters.

"I am convinced this energy will not disappear."

Zeman's victory is good news for Babis, who was a runaway winner in parliamentary elections in October with pledges to fight political corruption and run the state better.

But police charges that Babis illegally obtained subsidies as a businessman a decade ago - which he denies - have left his party without ruling partners.

Zeman has pledged to give Babis a second chance to form a government and repeated on Saturday that he would let him have ample time.</s>– The populist, pro-Russian president of the Czech Republic fended off a vigorous challenge from a pro-European Union political neophyte Saturday in an election widely seen as a referendum on whether the central European nation will tilt East or West.

The narrow victory delivered a second five-year term to Milos Zeman, the wily 73-year-old political veteran who is known for his inflammatory rhetoric, his close ties to Moscow and his self-described image as “the Czech Trump.”

“This, my dear, is my last political victory, and no loss will follow it,” a beaming Zeman told cheering supporters as he vowed to abide by a constitutional two-term limit.

The result marked a major defeat for pro-Western forces in the country, which had mobilized behind Jiri Drahos, a 68-year-old chemist. The low-key former head of the Czech Academy of Sciences had campaigned on a platform of robust support for the European Union and a more civil approach to politics.

In a speech to hundreds of deflated backers, Drahos congratulated the incumbent and said the ideals behind his campaign would live on.

“I am thankful for the enormous wave of energy that has surged with this election,” he said, an arm over his wife’s shoulder. “This energy cannot disappear. And I am convinced that it will not disappear.”

Polls before the election showed an even race. But the final tally gave Zeman a 51- to 49-percent edge, with 66 percent of voters casting ballots in the nation of 10.5 million.

In the campaign’s final days, Drahos had been hit by a barrage of online attacks, with websites, chain e-mails and social media posts spreading misinformation. Those campaigns variously alleged that Drahos was behind a secret globalist society, had hidden plans to open the country to mass immigration and is a pedophile.

Drahos had spoken out against the assault before the vote, saying it was “logical” to think that Russia was trying to interfere in the campaign.

He did not directly address the issue Saturday, saying his campaign would wait to analyze the results.

The Czech president does not run the government; that job is carried out by the prime minister. But the presidency is an influential institution, one that sets the political tone for the country.

The president has the power to veto laws and appoint a prime minister, a particularly important role now given that the country has been locked in political paralysis since October parliamentary elections.

That vote ended with the party of billionaire populist Andrej Babis coming out on top but needing partners to form a government. So far, he has been unable to find them, with other parties saying they will not support Babis as prime minister while he is under investigation for alleged fraud.

Zeman’s victory will be a boost for Babis, a close ally. Babis had endorsed Zeman in the presidential campaign, while Zeman has said he will continue to support the businessman’s attempts to form a government.

With Babis and Zeman in charge, Czech advocates for closer integration of the country with its Western allies fear there could be a shift the other way. Both Hungary and Poland have bucked the E.U. in recent years, while moving in a more populist and authoritarian direction. The Czech Republic has been more cautious, but shares Hungarian and Polish resentment toward E.U. directives to take in refugees.

Although the Czech Republic accepted just 12 of the 2,600 asylum-seekers it was supposed to take — and despite Drahos joining Zeman in rejecting quotas — the president capitalized on the issue. Zeman’s campaign billboards read “Stop immigration and Drahos. This country is ours.”

Drahos had largely avoided talking about immigration, saying he disagreed with Zeman on style but not substance. The political newcomer had promised to govern with “politeness,” an implicit rebuke of Zeman’s polarizing approach.

Zeman has delighted in provoking outrage. He has said Muslims are “impossible” to integrate in Europe and that E.U. leaders are “cowards.” He has also cultivated close ties with authoritarian leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Incumbent Miloš Zeman, who opposes immigration and objects to EU sanctions against Russia, is elected to a second term as President of the Czech Republic, after receiving 51.8 percent of the votes in the run-off election over pro-EU challenger Jiří Drahoš.