The count against the miner, better known as Schwarzenberg against Zeman will have at least one certain outcome: a big eurosceptic will no longer be the president of the Czech Republic.
A hot discussion about the (in)famous Benes decrees did fire up additionally the last days of the election.A runoff on January 25th and 26th will decide the winner. While Mr Zeman largely met expectations from pre-election polling, Mr Schwarzenberg more than doubled his anticipated share in what was the first direct presidential election in the history of the country. Some 61.3 % of voters cast ballots after a constitutional change earlier this year did away with a formerly convoluted parliamentary process that was rife with backroom dealing. The head of state has limited powers, but is influential in driving public opinion and appoints members of the Constitutional Court, among other tasks.
Voting patterns were sharply divided geographically and socio-economically, with the left-leaning populist Mr Zeman dominating the eastern part of the country, Moravia, as well as the economically distressed North Bohemian region. Mr Schwarzenberg, an irreverent conservative, held sway in a central swath of the country, trending towards urban and wealthy, as well as from ballots cast by Czech citizens living abroad.
From an economic point of view the developed central and western parts of the Republic are well intergrated into the European (think German) economy.
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The Sole 24 ore has focused on the MPS affair. It is of course sad and a bit unsettling to hear talk about la sicurezza dei depositi again and see informations pages for savers. It is interesting to note that much of the basic stuff has been among the most read on that site.
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