Czech president in hospital after shock election defeat for PM
by Robert Tait in Prague from on (#5QJMV)
Fears of a political crisis as Milo Zeman, an ally of Andrej Babi, is admitted to intensive care unit
The Czech Republic is facing political upheaval and a possible power vacuum after its billionaire prime minister, Andrej Babi, suffered a surprise general election defeat and then saw his most powerful backer and sole potential saviour, the country's president, Milo Zeman, taken to hospital, apparently gravely ill.
In a stunning upset that confounded pollsters' forecasts, Babi' populist Action for Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) 2011 party finished second in this weekend's popular vote behind the centre-right Spolu (Together) alliance, which previously vowed not to form a government with him.
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