The attack on Kyiv interrupted the elections at the Czech embassy for an hour

Kyiv/Paris - Due to the early morning attack on Kyiv, voting in the presidential elections at the Czech embassy in the Ukrainian capital was halted for about an hour. Everyone is fine; the Electoral Commission has taken refuge here for the time being.

TK was informed by Martin Muk, the embassy's head of consular services. Information from the agency indicates that the infrastructure of Kyiv was the target of the Russian attack.

On Friday, 417 citizens of the Czech Republic cast ballots at the embassy in Paris. "This is where the alarm went off.

Even before the alarm was sounded, we heard explosions, according to Muk. He claimed that no voters were present at the time of the election because the previous voter had already left.

The decision to postpone the elections was made by the Czech office after discussion with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The voting was stopped at 8:56 p.m. CET (or 9:56 Kyiv time), the diplomat reported.

Michal Fleischmann, the ambassador of the Czech Republic to France, told TK that approximately 750 Czech citizens will cast ballots in this location. Starting at eight in the morning today, voting will continue.

Even though there were no lines and the election went smoothly on Friday at the embassy beneath the Eiffel Tower, people kept showing up. The early hours of Friday evening, when primarily young people vote on their way home from work, are traditionally when there is the highest turnout, according to the ambassador.

There are currently 565 voters listed on the special voter list of the Czech Embassy in Paris, which is a number that is a few dozen more than in the most recent parliamentary elections. Prior to the presidential election, there was a discernible increase in interest in being added to the special list, according to Consul Jana Karfková.

According to Karfková, calls came in right up until the deadline with people expressing interest in setting up a data box so they could still apply for voter identification cards. The ratio of voters who are registered on a special list and those who show up to the polls with a voter's card is roughly equal to 50%, according to the consul.

Consul Karfková claims that each election sees an increase of 200–300 voters in voter turnout, based on data gathered by the embassy about voting patterns. In the past, the second round of the presidential election has drawn more attention.

In Paris in 2013, 300 people participated in the first round of voting and 300 in the second. approximately 400 voters.

2018 saw a total of 500 first-round voters and 700 second-round voters cast their ballots here. Approximately 750 participants are anticipated for the first round this time, but Ambassador Fleischmann expressed the hope that as many as a thousand people might show up.

In-depth statistics are also maintained by the embassy for purely utilitarian reasons. Because all voters in Paris only receive ballots at the polling place, the embassy must order the required quantity of ballots in a timely manner, according to Consul Karfková.

Even voters using voter identification cards are unable to bring their ballots from the Czech Republic because they are printed on a particular kind of paper, thereby preserving the election's anonymity. In order to ensure that there are enough tickets and avoid wastage, the embassy needs to know how many people will be attending.

The Paris embassy, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regularly ranks among those with the greatest number of registered voters. After London (1,325), Brussels (1,028), Bratislava (619), Bern (600), and Sydney (592) in this year's rankings, it comes in sixth place.

Several dozen more people in Paris than in New York (498) are registered to vote. In the seventh arrondissement of Paris, the Czech Embassy serves as France's sole voting location.

The majority of compatriots, according to Ambassador Fleischmann, who reside in the capital, regularly cast ballots, but tourists and compatriots from the outlying areas are also included. Two young Czech women who reside in Heidelberg, Germany, came to the Czech embassy on Friday night to cast their ballots as well.

The two women, Renata, an IT consultant, and Jana, a university scientist, explained that they have a direct flight to Paris and that this is the fastest route for them. "Unfortunately, you cannot vote in the nearest big German cities of Frankfurt and Stuttgart, and Munich, Berlin, Düsseldorf, or Hamburg are several hours away by train," said Jana, who works at the University of Heidelberg.

Election conflict for president of Ukraine.

Kyiv/Paris - Due to the early morning attack on Kyiv, voting in the presidential elections at the Czech embassy in the Ukrainian capital was halted for about an hour.