At this stage, a candidate requires an absolute majority of merely those actually present at the time of voting in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

Assuming that all members of parliament are present, all that is required to win is 141 votes, regardless of the house of origin.

If no candidate wins in the third round, another ballot has to be considered in a subsequent joint session of parliament.

Sládek's Republican Party called Havel's victory illegal and refused to acknowledge it.

The First Lady Dagmar Havlová whistled during a speech of a Republican MP Jan Vik.