WORLD
Milos Zeman re-elected President of the Czech Republic
Baku, January 29, AZERTAC
The Czech President Milos Zeman won a second term in a presidential election on Saturday, gaining the backing of majority of voters, according to Reuters.
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 center-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.
Speaking to supporters after claiming victory, Zeman said he would continue traveling the country to meet citizens and hear their worries.
