Czech right wing Civic Democrats seen winning legislative elections
The right wing Civic Democratic party of Mirek Topolanek is predicted to win legislative elections in the Czech Republic with 38 percent of the vote, according to a first forecast.
Czech Television's forecast, released after polls closed at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) showed the Social Democratic Party of Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek trailing with 30 percent.
Civic Democrat MP Vlastimil Tlusty said the forecast Saturday suggested his party and the Christian Democrats would amass more seats in the lower house than the Social Democrats and Communists combined. "That would be a good result," he said.
Paroubek, seeking a third election win for his party, was put on the defensive in the campaign's last days by allegations from a top police officer that he, his interior minister and police chiefs tried to block corruption and murder inquiries implicating top party members.
All but one opinion poll -- on the eve of the allegations -- had put the Civic Democrats ahead.
Topolanek, who has made the fight against corruption one of his main themes, has promised to restore voters' "faith in politics." His programme features an across-the-board 15 percent flat tax, and a promise to halve unemployment, relaunch privatisation, shrink the role of the state, and keep the Communists out of power.
The Communist Party was predicted to gain 12 percent, the Christian Democrats eight percent and the Greens seven percent. Such a result would allow the Greens to win seats in the 200-seat lower house of parliament for the first time.
Turnout was predicted at 65 percent, compared with the 58 percent in the last election in June 2002. Official results are expected late on Saturday.
The strong showing forecast for the Civic Democrats was "something which has never been seen until now," said political analyst Tomas Lebeda, adding that the previously best score for any party in a legislative election was 32 percent.
"For the first time as well, the two biggest parties have exceeded the 30 percent mark," he added.
The scandal, partly focused on a lucrative government contract for environment friendly fuel, could have encouraged previously uncommitted voters to punish Paroubek's party, Lebeda told Saturday's edition of the daily Lidove Noviny.
"A week ago a high turnout would apparently have favoured the CSSD [Social Democrats]. The biofuel scandal could have made up the minds of many wavering voters and it could work out otherwise," he said.
However Social Democrat Minister of Finance Bohuslav Sobotka said the forecast by Czech Television probably underestimated his party support.
Many voters had not declared how they voted after "such a campaign against the left," he said. "I think that our result will be better," he added.
Green vice president, Dana Kuchtova, said its expected result represented "an historic moment."
In the 2002 elections, the Social Democrats polled 30.2 percent, the Civic Democrats 24.47, the Communist Party 18.51, the Christian Democrats 14.27 percent, and Greens 2.36 percent.
Paroubek's admission that he could call on Communist support if asked to form a minority government have helped stoke worries that the Communist's could get a share of power for the first time since the 1989 revolution.
Commentators warned ahead of polling that electoral apathy would favour the Communist Party, famed for its disciplined turnout and seeking to better its 18.51 percent score in 2002.
Fears of a Communist resurgence, in a country where memories of the Soviet-bloc regime are still fresh, sparked numerous initiatives to encourage a high turnout or voting for non-left wing parties.
Paroubek vaunted the Czech Republic's economic success -- with six percent growth in 2005 -- and his party's commitment to social justice during the campaign.
Polls had suggested neither of the two main parties will win an outright majority, putting three smaller parties -- the Greens, Communists and Christian Democrats -- in the possible position of powerbrokers.
AFP
