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Polling stations around the country opened on Friday for Czechs to cast their vote in presidential elections. What are they expecting from their presidential candidate? Do they think their vote makes any difference? We talked to two Czechs at the opposite ends of the age spectrum about how they perceived the contest.

Czech voters began going to the polls on Friday in the first round of the presidential election. Standing in the election are nine candidates including the incumbent, Miloš Zeman, who is seeking a second five-year term. It is only the second time in history that Czechs are voting directly on who will be the head of state.

Some Czechs abroad have already been voting in the presidential polls.

In the United States, Czechs could vote from Thursday 8 pm Central European time. Voting is possible in person in New York, Chicago, Washington, and Los Angeles. Interest in the vote is said to be higher than in October’s elections to the lower house of parliament.

The Czech consul in Washington said around 1,000 Czechs were registered to vote with participation at around 70 percent. Many can also cast correspondence votes.

Czechs go to the polls on Friday afternoon in the first round voting for a new president. Nine candidates are in the running, including current president Miloš Zeman, who is seeking another five year term.

If no single candidate wins a majority of votes in polling Friday and Saturday, a second round will be held between the two top scoring candidates in two weeks’ time.

Eight candidates, minus Zeman, took part in a final debate at Czech Radio’s Prague centre on Friday before polls opened. Zeman has refused to take part in any debates with other candidates.

Incumbent Miloš Zeman says that he will not take part in a debate with the other candidate if he makes it through to the two-person run-off that will take place if nobody wins over half the vote in this weekend’s first round of voting in presidential elections. He made the comment in an interview with Mladá fronta Dnes published on Thursday. Mr. Zeman has refused to participate in any debates prior to the first round, in which nine candidates are in the running, saying that he is not leading a campaign.

The president said that he had not sought financial support but nevertheless appreciated those who had contributed to his transparent account. He has received at least CZK 17 million in financial backing.

The Czech branch of the watchdog Transparency International has assessed the openness of the nine presidential candidates as regards their campaign financing. It gave the worst marks to current head of state, Miloš Zeman, saying that he had not revealed details of sponsors or the nature of his spending so far. Other candidates place high in the polls also had flaws in their reporting but these were not so great, the report, placed on the watchdog’s website said.

Candidates face a spending limit of 30 million crowns in the first round with another 10 billion to be spent in the second, if needed.

Incumbent Miloš Zeman says that if he does not make it into the second round of Czech presidential elections next weekend he will not vote at all. In a radio interview, Mr. Zeman said that he would not be able to support any of the other eight candidates.

The president said ex-prime minister Mirek Topolánek and diplomat Pavel Fischer were the only other candidates with experience in politics. However, they did had not mastered the political arts, in his view.

Mr. Zeman also said that if re-elected he would not grant similar pardons to the one he had given convicted murderer Jiří Kajínek.

The first stage of the Czech presidential elections is reaching its climax with voting taking place this Friday and Saturday. The nine candidates seeking to become head of state will be trying to get their final messages through in the next days and that’s likely to mean a rush to the campaign coffers where some are, apparently, more equal and open to scrutiny than others.

The nine candidates in the running for the post of Czech president are preparing for their final week of campaigning before the first round of voting next Friday and Saturday. Much of their time will be given over to various debates, as well as handing out flyers and meeting citizens, the candidates and their teams told the Czech News Agency.

One of the favourites, academic Jiří Drahoš, said he would highlight in debates the absence of a candidate who had refused to take part in any such forums. This is a reference to the incumbent, Miloš Zeman, who representatives say is not leading a campaign.

However, Mr. Zeman will be visible to voters this week. He is taking part as president in a ceremony at Prague Castle marking the centenary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia and on Wednesday will be at the lower house when the ANO minority government seeks a vote of confidence.

In his Christmas message to the nation, President Miloš Zeman highlighted the country’s economic successes, telling Czechs they had much to be proud of. As regards the country’s political future, Miloš Zeman ruled out early elections, telling politicians they would have to play the cards they had been dealt in the elections.