Czech presidential election starts

PRAGUE, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- The first round of direct presidential election in the Czech Republic started at 14:00 on Friday. The polling stations will close at 22:00 on Friday night and the election will continue from 8:00 till 14:00 on Saturday.

After the polling stations closed on Saturday, the election commissioners will start counting the votes and send the data to the Czech Statistical Office (CSU) . CSU will release the results on its website, and the final results are to be available on Saturday evening.

Many Czech politicians, including current Czech President Milos Zeman and Prime Minister Andrej Babis, went to the polling station to cast their vote. A half-naked woman, a possible Femen activist, attacked Zeman in a polling station to prevent him from voting on Friday afternoon.

When Zeman prepared to present his ID card to the election commission, the woman took off her shirt and started running and yelling towards him. Zeman was shocked and was took out of the room by two security guards.

According to Czech police, the woman was a Ukrainian, who hid among journalists who were waiting for Zeman at the polling station.

Along with Zeman, former Science Academy chairman Jiri Drahos, businessman and lyricist Michal Horacek, former Civic Democrat (ODS) chairman and ex-PM Mirek Topolanek, medical doctor and university teacher Marek Hilser, former ambassador to France Pavel Fischer, Skoda Auto former board chairman Vladimir Kulhanek, Defence and Security Industry Association President Jiri Hynek and musician and producer Petr Hannig are running for president.

If none of the candidates could win an absolute majority of the vote, the second round will be held two weeks later, on Jan. 26-27. The two candidates with the strongest support will advance to the second round. Enditem