Czech president Zeman to be released from hospital on Wednesday

FILE PHOTO: Re-elected Czech President Milos Zeman attends the inauguration ceremony at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, March 8, 2018. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File Photo

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech President Milos Zeman, 76, will be released from hospital on Wednesday after an eight-day stay.

A spokeswoman for the Prague Central Military Hospital told Reuters in a text message Zeman would be discharged around 11 a.m. She did not give any details and did not respond to questions about his condition or treatment.

Zeman's spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The presidential office said last week that Zeman, who has used a wheelchair on most official duties for several months due to neuropathy affecting his legs, underwent a thorough medical check at Prague's military hospital which found that he was suffering from dehydration and slight exhaustion.

It said that "above-limit" levels related to diabetes, which Zeman had suffered from in previous years, were not detected, but his neuropathy problems continued.

The Czech Republic holds a parliamentary election on Oct. 8-9.

While the government holds most executive powers in the Czech constitutional system, the directly elected president is a key player in personnel appointments including that of the prime minister.

Zeman has backed the current prime minister, Andrej Babis, whose centrist, populist ANO party leads opinion polls ahead of the election.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Giles Elgood)