The pro-Russian incumbent Milos Zeman, center, claims victory in the Czech Republic presidential election in Prague on Jan. 27. The country’s president won a second five-year term after defeating a political newcomer viewed as more Western oriented in a runoff vote. (Petr David Josek/AP)
BERLIN — The populist, pro-Russian president of the Czech Republic fended off a vigorous challenge from a pro-E.U. political neophyte Saturday in an election widely seen as a referendum on whether the central European nation will tilt East or West.
The vote delivered a second term in office to Milos Zeman, the 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.” At his victory party, supporters — most of whom are older and from rural areas — chanted and clapped as they awaited his appearance.
The result marked a major defeat for pro-Western forces in the country, which had mobilized behind 68-year-old chemist Jiri Drahos. The 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. Supporters at his campaign gathering appeared deflated.
Polls going into the election had shown a dead-even race. But the final tally gave Zeman a 52 to 48 percent edge, with some 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 emails and social media posts spreading misinformation. The 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.
People vote at a polling station during the second round of the presidential election in Prague on Jan. 26. (Rene Volfik/Reuters) Drahos had spoken out against the assault, saying it was “logical” to think that Russia was trying to interfere in the campaign.
In a speech to hundreds of supporters after the results were announced, Drahos congratulated the incumbent and said that 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 draped around his wife’s shoulder. “This energy cannot disappear. And I am convinced that it will not disappear.”
The Czech president does not run the government; that job is carried out by the prime minister. But the presidency is a powerful 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. 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.
Katerina Santurova in Prague contributed to this report.
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