Low turnout expected in Czech Republic EU vote

Voting for the EU elections has been taking place early in the Czech Republic, spread over two days in the hope of drawing people to the polls as turnout here is expected to be one of the lowest.

While former prime minister Mirek Topolanek was quick to cast his ballot yesterday, eurosceptic president Vaclav Klaus didn’t do so until this morning. He made no secret of his views earlier this week when he declared that he didn’t believe the vote was necessary.

More than 30 parties are competing for the 22 seats alloted to the Czech Republic, but only a few are expected to pass the five-percent margin.

In many ways, today’s poll in the Czech Republic is widely seen as a test of public satisfaction ahead of a general election in October, and it is little surprise domestic rather than EU issues have dominated the ballot.

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tags: Czech Republic, European elections