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Pro-Russian faces liberal in knife-edge Czech presidential vote

Voters in the Czech Republic will a choose between incumbent Milos Zeman (right) and Jiri Drahos a tight presidential run-off

Czechs went to the polls Friday at the start of a two-day presidential run-off pitting pro-Russian populist incumbent Milos Zeman against liberal pro-European rival Jiri Drahos, in a tight race that promises to go down to the wire. A pre-vote poll by the Kantar TNS and Median agencies showed the two candidates neck-and-neck, with the divisive 73-year-old ex-communist Zeman credited with 45.5 percent of the vote against 45 percent for the academic Drahos. About 10 percent of voters in the EU and NATO member state remained undecided, with polls indicating that they too are split down the middle. Bookmakers, however, give veteran politician Zeman the edge. "This is a showdown between two completely different candidates representing two parts of a rather split society," political analyst Tomas Lebeda told AFP, pointing to deep division on immigration and Czech foreign policy. The polling stations are due to reopen at 0700 GMT on Saturday before closing definitively at 1300 GMT. Turnout at the first day of voting was put at 50 percent by the election commission. Voting in Prague, Zeman slammed political novice Drahos, dubbing him a rival "who hasn't dealt with politics yet", while Drahos vowed the energy generated during the campaign "won't be wasted, whatever the outcome." Known for his pro-Chinese and anti-Muslim stance, the populist Zeman, who is also a fan of US President Donald Trump, took pole position in a field of nine candidates in the January 12-13 first round vote, garnering 38.56 percent of the vote. Drahos got 26.60 percent. While Zeman represents poorer and rural voters with lower education, Drahos appeals to wealthier, well-educated urbanites. - East vs West - Prague voter Lubos Horcic told AFP he was backing Drahos because "he will work to reconcile society and not divide it like Comrade Zeman", adding that Drahos was "moving towards Europe and the West and not towards the East." But fellow voter Daniel Hajek said he would choose the "experienced Milos Zeman because he's opening the door to economic cooperation with countries like Russia and China. "It's important for us, for jobs; our country is at the heart of Europe -- we can't go in just one direction," he told AFP in Prague. Europe's fifth biggest carmaker is dependent on auto exports, mainly to the eurozone, and its economy is expected to expand by 3.4 percent this year. The run-off vote comes amid a wider political crisis as billionaire populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis is fighting police charges of EU subsidy fraud that are hampering his ability to form a government. Even though the country of 10.6 million people has only received 12 migrants under the EU quota system, migration was a key campaign issue. Zeman's stance on the European Union echoes other populist-minded EU politicians -- like Poles and Hungarians -- at odds with Brussels over mandatory refugee quotas and various rules which they see as attempts to limit national sovereignty. - Smear campaign? - Zeman once called the 2015 migrant crisis "an organised invasion" of Europe, claiming Muslims were "impossible to integrate". Billboards across the country sought to appeal to voters with anti-migrant messages: "Stop immigrants and Drahos. This is our country. Vote Zeman!" He also wants the EU to lift its sanctions on Russia over its 2014 takeover of Crimea from Ukraine. Running under the slogan "Decency is a strength," Drahos, a 68-year-old former head of the Czech Academy of Sciences and a trained chemist, could not be more different. A mild-mannered centrist whom critics have branded "wishy-washy", Drahos wants Prague to "play a more active role in the EU" and backs joining the eurozone. He is also a critic of the refugee quota system, but insists the Czech Republic is strong enough to accept its allotted 2,600 refugees. This earned him scorn in pro-Zeman media and on social networks. Drahos has denied allegations of paedophilia and having been a communist police agent, suggesting the accusations were a smear-campaign by Russian intelligence with links to Zeman. The constitution allows the president to name the prime minister and government, central bankers, judges and university professors, and to sign bills passed by parliament into laws.