Prague, Jan 14 (CTK) – Czech presidential candidate Jiri Drahos won over one seventh of the voters who had supported President Milos Zeman in the presidential runoff in 2013, according to a survey by Kantar TNS and Median agencies the results of which public Czech Television (CT) released on Sunday.
The survey was conducted on Saturday, which was the second day of the first round of the direct presidential election, from which Drahos and Zeman advanced to the runoff that will be held on January 26-27.
In the first round held this weekend, Zeman received support from 68 percent of those who had voted for him in the 2013 runoff, 9 percent of those who had voted for his opponent Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09) then, and 32 percent of those who had not cast their votes in the runoff five years ago, the survey showed.
Sciences Academy former head Drahos was supported in the first round by 14 percent of Zeman’s voters from the 2013 runoff, 41 percent of Schwarzenberg’s voters from the runoff and 28 percent of those who did not take part in the runoff five years ago.
Sociologist Daniel Prokop, from Median, said the group of Zeman’s voters changed. “Not all who voted for him (in 2013) like him. On the other hand, he won some new supporters,” he said.
Prokop told CT that Drahos appeals to a part of Zeman’s voters who feel that Zeman’s performance in the presidential post is not dignified enough. Zeman won over a smaller part of former Schwarzenberg’s voters probably thanks to his stances on migration and the European Union.
The survey also showed that less educated people, older people, people with lower pay, pensioners and the unemployed voted Zeman more often.
This weekend, Zeman won support from 54 percent of voters without a secondary school final exam, 31 percent of those with secondary education and 19 percent of university graduates.
Drahos won support from 38 percent of university graduates, 31 percent of voters with secondary education and 18 percent of those with elementary education.
A majority of voters aged over 60 cast their votes for Zeman as well as one third of those in their 40s and 50s and 27 percent of those under 40. Drahos won about one fourth of voters of all three age groups.
Fifty-five percent of retired and unemployed voters preferred Zeman in the first round and 22 percent of them chose Drahos. Among people with monthly incomes under 20,000 crowns taking part in the election, 36 percent supported Zeman and 24 percent Drahos. Among voters with higher incomes, one third chose Drahos and one fourth Zeman.
The survey was conducted on January 13 among more than 2,000 respondents.
