The Czech Republic's parliamentary election left no party with a majority Saturday, raising the prospect of lengthy negotiations to form a coalition government.
The leftist Social Democrats came in first with more than 20 percent of the vote. But it was the newly-formed anti-corruption movement ANO (Yes) that finished surprisingly strong. ANO came in second with nearly 19 percent of the vote, while the Communists, allies of the Social Democrats, finished third with close to 15 percent.
The Communists have not had a share of power since the 1989 Velvet Revolution ended 40 years of communist rule in what was then Czechoslovakia, which later split into two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The results mean the Social Democrats will not be able to form a coalition government with just the Communists' support as they had hoped.
The central European nation's previous coalition collapsed in June amid a spy scandal and corruption allegations. It seems voters may have punished the two coalition parties, with the Civic Democrats receiving less than eight percent of the vote and the TOP 09 party winning under 12 percent.
The leftist Social Democrats came in first with more than 20 percent of the vote. But it was the newly-formed anti-corruption movement ANO (Yes) that finished surprisingly strong. ANO came in second with nearly 19 percent of the vote, while the Communists, allies of the Social Democrats, finished third with close to 15 percent.
The Communists have not had a share of power since the 1989 Velvet Revolution ended 40 years of communist rule in what was then Czechoslovakia, which later split into two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The results mean the Social Democrats will not be able to form a coalition government with just the Communists' support as they had hoped.
The central European nation's previous coalition collapsed in June amid a spy scandal and corruption allegations. It seems voters may have punished the two coalition parties, with the Civic Democrats receiving less than eight percent of the vote and the TOP 09 party winning under 12 percent.