Social Democrats win Czech poll

PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- The Czech Republic's ruling Social Democrats have won parliamentary elections giving them the right to form the government that will take the country into the European Union.

With 99 percent of the vote counted on Saturday evening, the Social Democrats won 30 percent or 71 seats in the 200-seat parliament.

The party was well ahead of second-placed Civic Democrats, who finished with 24 percent and 56 seats.

The remaining ballots -- mostly from absentee voters -- will be tallied by next week.

The election turnout was 58 percent, significantly less than the 74 percent turnout in 1998.

EXTRA INFORMATION Key players and election issues  Parties and policies

Saturday's ballot, in which the Social Democrats defeated 27 other parties, also gave the Communist Party its best result since the 1989 Velvet Revolution.

It finished in third place, with just under 19 percent, while the alliance of the Christian Democratic Union and the Freedom Union finished fourth, with 14 percent.

Social Democratic leader Vladimir Spidla said the results proved that Czechs were ready to put the country's Communist legacy in the past and join the EU in 2004.

"I am not surprised by the result," he was quoted by the Associated Press.

"It is evidence that liberal policies (of the previous governments) are clearly old-fashioned."

"It is clear Czech people voted left, voted for social justice and social security," said Miroslav Grebenicek, the chairman of the Communists.

Spidla, a 51-year-old historian, has long been a close ally of outgoing Prime Minister Milos Zeman.

A strong supporter of the EU, he has served as a deputy prime minister for the last four years.

The outcome seemed a sharp rebuke to Vaclav Klaus, the Civic Democratic Party leader attempting a comeback to power.

Despite predictions that the race would be closer, Klaus seemed to fade, blaming political infighting amid the center-right parties for his decline.

The new parliament is expected to complete membership talks with the European Union in 2002 and elect the country's new president in January 2003.