In the Czech Republic, the names of the two men vying for the succession of Milos Zeman are now known. Former prime minister Andrej Babis and retired general Petr Pavel came out on top in the first round of the presidential election, according to results released on Saturday (January 14th). They will face off on January 27 and 28.
The first round took place on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 January. Mr. Babis obtained 36.02% of the votes and Mr. Pavel 34.38%, according to the count of 90% of the ballots cast on Saturday at the end of the day, according to the Czech Statistical Office. Economist Danuse Nerudova came third, with 13.85% of the vote. None of the five other candidates in the running obtained more than 7%.
The return of the populist billionaire
Having come out on top in the first round, business tycoon Andrej Babis, 68, is known for his populist positions and decisions. According to the magazine Forbes, he is the fifth richest person in the Czech Republic. Prime Minister from 2017 to 2021, he resigned in October 2021 after his defeat in the legislative elections.
Given favorite even before the first round, the billionaire is an extremely controversial figure. On January 9, he was acquitted at first instance in Prague on charges of tax evasion after his questionable use of EU funds. It was finally after having crisscrossed the country this summer to try to restore his image that he announced his presidential candidacy late in the day.
When he went to the polls on January 13 in Pruhonice, south of Prague, Mr Babis said he was counting on his political experience to win. “I know most presidents. My advantage is that I know what all the departments are dealing with”he added.
Petr Pavel, retired general and former chief of staff
Former paratrooper Petr Pavel, 61, has made a name for himself in a completely different field than politics or agribusiness. The general is known to the general public for having rescued French soldiers besieged by the Serbs during the war in Bosnia in 1993. Former chief of staff and former chairman of the military committee of the United Nations Treaty North Atlantic (NATO), he is now retired.
Voting in his native village of Cernoucek, north of Prague, Mr Pavel said on January 13 that the main aim of his candidacy was to restore the dignity of the presidential office after Mr Zeman’s ten years in office. . “We should also establish normal communication and try to achieve results not through confrontation but through cooperation”he added.
The second round promises to be tight and potentially full of surprises. Before the first round, polls suggested that in the event of a duel between MM. Pavel and Babis the first, helped by his lack of experience as head of state, could win.
Whoever wins this election will have to face record inflation (15.8%) and exorbitant deficits in Czech public finances due to the war in Ukraine.
Test your general knowledge with the writing of the “World”
To discover
The role of the Czech president is essentially ceremonial, but the head of state appoints the government, chooses the governor of the central bank and the constitutional judges. He also serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Since 2013, Mr Zeman, who once confessed to drinking six glasses of wine and three of hard liquor daily, has repeatedly exploited loopholes in the Constitution to increase his influence.