Czechs prepare to elect president after 10 years of Miloš Zeman

Poll has become a tussle between three frontrunners whose campaigns have all hit problems

Voters in the Czech Republic go to the polls this week to elect a new president in a contest that could set the country on a renewed path of populism or bring to office a national unifier promising to heal divisions opened up by the rumbustious incumbent, Milo Zeman.

Eight candidates are vying to succeed the 78-year-old, who is constitutionally bound to step down after two successive five-year terms. Voting will be spread over Friday and Saturday and is almost certain to be followed by a second-round runoff in a fortnight's time.