AlHijjah 21, 1434, Oct 26, 2013, SPA -- Parliamentary elections were running apace in the Czech Republic as they entered their second day Saturday, dpa reported. About 40 per cent of the country's 8.4 million eligible voters were believed to have cast their ballots on Friday, the first day of voting, which was in line with turnout rates in previous elections. Polls were to remain open until 2 pm (1200 GMT) Saturday. Early forecasts saw the Czech Republic's Social Democrat party the likely biggest vote-getter. However, even if the Social Democrats (CSSD) take the most votes, it was unclear if they and their desired coalition partner, the communist KSCM party, would pull together enough votes to form a government. If they did so, it would be the first time a communist party was allowed into a Czech government since the collapse of the old Communist regime in 1989. "We're expecting a change of government," said CSSD party chief Bohuslav Sobotka on TV after voting. The Social Democrats, which are also the party of President Milos Zeman, are tipped to win 23 per cent of the vote, with the communists expected to get 14 per cent. ANO, a party with an anti-corruption platform, is tipped to win 16 per cent, which would get it into parliament for the first time. Almost 5,900 candidates are running in the election, a record. The new elections were necessitated after former prime minister Petr Necas left office in June amid an eavesdropping scandal. A caretaker government has run the country since.
