Czech Republic holds parliamentary elections

Voting is underway in the Czech Republic's parliamentary elections, with polling stations opened on Friday. The two-day nationwide election will determine the 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of parliament. In all, 26 political parties and movements are competing, fielding more than 4,400 candidates nationwide.

About 8 million citizens are eligible to vote. A notable change this year is the introduction of postal voting for Czechs living abroad. By the end of August, around 24,000 citizens had registered to cast their ballots by mail. Official results are expected Saturday evening, after polling closes and the first ballots are counted.