Czech voters hope for 'honest, fair, incorruptible' president
Polling stations opened for the Czech presidential election run-off in which retired NATO general Petr Pavel is expected to beat billionaire former prime minister Andrej Babis.
Despite the grim weather, analysts expected high turnout for the two-day vote, which follows an election campaign marked by hostility and controversial comments regarding the war in Ukraine.
The victor will replace Milos Zeman, an outspoken and divisive politician who nursed close ties with Moscow before making a U-turn when Russia invaded Ukraine last year.
Former paratrooper Pavel topped final opinion polls with 58-59 percent support, compared with 41-42 percent for Babis.
Eight candidates stood in the first round vote when Pavel edged Babis with 35.4 percent against 35, and with right and centre backing he has since wooed the voters of several of the other candidates.
Babis can rely on stable support from voters of his centre-left populist ANO movement, but he appears unlikely to win over a significant number of new votes.
The two-week campaign between the election rounds was particularly antagonistic, with disinformation largely targeting Pavel, including a hoax claiming he was dead, death threats aimed at Babis and his family.
The new head of state will face record inflation in the central European EU and NATO members of 10.5 million people.
