Zeman gaining ground in presidential polls

Former prime minister Miloš Zeman is gaining ground in the race for the Czech presidency. A new survey conducted by the agency Factum Invenio puts the long-time Social Democrat leader ahead of economist Jan Švejnar and just behind former interim prime minister Jan Fischer. According to the poll, Zeman and Fischer would go the second round of voting with Fischer winning by a four-point margin if direct elections were held today. The three frontrunners would be followed at a considerable distance by Social Democrat Jiří Dienstbier, businessman Tomio Okamura and TOP 09 chairman and Foreign Minister Karla Schwarzenberg. The successor to President Václav Klaus will be chosen for the first time by direct election on January 6 and February 5, 2013.