A woman casts her vote for the parliamentary elections at a polling station. Photo: Petr David Josek/AP/dpa
Keystone
The two-day parliamentary election in the Czech Republic has come to an end, which is seen as a landmark event. The favorite in the polls is the opposition party ANO of right-wing populist and billionaire Andrej Babis. When casting his vote, the 71-year-old said that he wanted to secure a majority for his party. He promised lower taxes and an end to arms deliveries to Ukraine. The center-right alliance Spolu (Together) of Prime Minister Petr Fiala, on the other hand, must expect losses. The last election four years ago was a dramatic neck-and-neck race.
Counting begins
The polling stations closed their doors at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The counting has begun. Meaningful partial results are expected in the evening. There are no projections or forecasts based on post-election surveys. More than eight million people were called upon to fill the 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, the more important of the two chambers of parliament. For the first time, Czech citizens from abroad were allowed to vote by post. Previously, they had to cast their vote in person at a diplomatic mission.
Problems with electronic ID cards
The vote was overshadowed by problems with the electronic ID card, which is supposed to allow people to identify themselves using a smartphone. According to the responsible authority, this was due to an overload caused by the unexpectedly high demand. An anonymous drone threat against the international airport in Prague also caused a bit of a stir, but this was not initially confirmed.