Schwarzenberg's fans wearing bow-ties, pipes, march through Prague

Prague, Jan 24 (CTK) - About a hundred of fans of Karel Schwarzenberg, most of them young people, marched through the centre of Prague in support of his candidacy for Czech president on the eve of the direct presidential election's run-off vote Thursday.

They wore bow-ties and smoked pipes, both symbols of Schwarzenberg (TOP 09), the conservative foreign minister and a descendant of an old Czech noble family.

In the upcoming run-off duel, Schwarzenberg will clash for presidency with Milos Zeman, former Social Democrat prime minister running for the small leftist party SPOZ.

The pro-Schwarzenberg march Thursday was calm, only surrounded with clouds of pipe smoke. It was closed with the participants' chanting "Karel to the Castle!", an allusion to Prague Castle as the seat of Czech presidents.

Following the organisers' recommendation, the participants refrained from verbally attacking Zeman.

Finally, most of them signed a poster promoting Schwarzenberg, which the organisers will take to his election team's office.

The second round of the first ever direct presidential polls will be held on Friday and Saturday.

None of the candidates can be clearly described as the favourite.

There are over 8.4 million eligible voters in the 10.5-million Czech Republic. The turnout in the first round on January 11-12, from which Zeman, 68, and Schwarzenberg, 75, advanced, defeating seven rivals, was 61.3 percent (5.17 million people)