Russia, EU Ties Take Spotlight in Czech Presidential Runoff

Incumbent Zeman to face ex-Academy of Sciencies chief Drahos
Television debates will precede Jan. 26-27 head-to-head round

Milos Zeman, Czech president, arrives for an official ceremony at the Prague Castle.Photographer: Martin Divisek/Bloomberg

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By Peter Laca and Ladka Mortkowitz Bauerova

January 15, 2018 at 12:00 AM UTC

Updated on

January 15, 2018 at 8:00 AM UTC

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Czechs will decide in a runoff presidential election whether pro-Russian incumbent Milos Zeman keeps his post for five more years or is ousted by a pro-European Union professor who’s won endorsements from candidates who tumbled out in the first round.

Zeman, a veteran politician who supports Russian leader Vladimir Putin and was one of early backers of U.S. President Donald Trump, won the initial stage of balloting on Friday and Saturday with 39 percent. He’ll face Jiri Drahos, a 68-year-old former head of the Czech Academy of Sciences in a Jan. 26-27 head-to-head contest. Drahos won 27 percent, far ahead of the next challenger.