He secured his spot in the runoff by finishing second to Mr. Zeman in the first round of voting this weekend. Mr. Zeman received 38.6 percent of the vote, compared with 26.6 for Mr. Drahos. Two decades ago, the Czech Republic welcomed people seeking refuge from the wars in the Balkans, taking in thousands of refugees from Bosnia, including Muslims. Mr. Babis has flirted with bringing them into a coalition government, and Mr. Zeman spoke at a SPD party conference. Mr. Zeman does not shy away from the fact that he is close with Mr. Putin and actively courting Chinese investment.

Source: New York Times January 14, 2018 22:01 UTC