When is the Czech election 2017? What time will results come in TODAY?
TYCOON Andrej Babiš is poised to win the Czech election, delivering a blow to the EU. But what time is the election and when will the result be announced?
All eyes are on Mr Babiš, the billionaire businessman and ANO movement leader, after the people of the Czech Republic went to the polls on Friday and Saturday.
Mr Babiš looks firmly on track to become Prime Minister, according to Seán Hanley, senior lecturer in comparative central east European politics at UCL.
“As leader of the largest party, Andrej Babiš seems certain to be nominated as prime minister designate by the president Miloš Zeman, who is a close political ally,” he wrote on his blog.
“Neither Babiš himself nor Zeman see ongoing criminal charges as an obstacle and, while traditional parties have proved capable of working together to pass conflict-of-interest legislation targeting Babiš, their votes and seats will almost certainly be too few, and their political differences too great, to form a rainbow coalition against the billionaire politician.
“It is therefore difficult to envisage any government without ANO.”
The latest poll aggregate, from kdovyhrajevolby.cz, put the ANO on more than 25 per cent and its biggest rival the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSDP) on less than 13 per cent ahead of the election.
What time is the Czech election 2017?
Unlike the UK general election, polling during the Czech election lasts two days.
The polls were be open between 2pm and 10pm on Friday October 20 and 8am to 2pm on Saturday October 21.
As leader of the largest party, Andrej Babiš seems certain to be nominated as prime minister
The first elections results are expected to arrive within an hour of the polls closing, with most polling stations revealing their ballot counts in the afternoon.
Although results are expected by about 7pm on Saturday, State Electoral Commission will most likely officially confirm the results on Monday.
Who will win the Czech election?
The ANO movement is set to win the largest share of the vote but will still have to enter into a coalition in order to govern.
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The last three-way coalition between the ANO, Czech Social Democratic Party and the Social Democrats has descended into infighting.
The Economist Intelligence Unit said that the populist ANO has been leading the way in the polls after the collapse of traditional parties on the left and right.
It said: “Into the void created by the collapse of support for the traditional parties on both right and left has stepped ANO.
“The movement's charismatic founder and billionaire leader, Mr Babiš, pushes a populist message from the centre of the political spectrum, albeit one free from nationalist or conservative overtones.
“His simple message is that he will run the country like a business and root out corruption. He claims to be too rich to need to steal.”