- Former chief of staff Petr Pavel becomes the new president of the Czech Republic.
- After counting all constituencies in the run-off election, the former NATO general prevailed with 58.3 percent of the votes against former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, according to the CSU statistics authority.
- The billionaire Babis therefore accounted for 41.7 percent.
- The liberal-conservative head of government, Petr Fiala, has already congratulated Pavel on his victory.
At the beginning of March, the 61-year-old ex-military man – once the chief of staff in the Czech Republic – succeeded current President Miloš Zeman, who often polarized with controversial statements.
The head of state has mainly representative tasks in the EU and NATO member states, but also appoints the government and is the supreme commander of the armed forces. The turnout was relatively high at around 70 percent of the votes.
Cheered on by his supporters, Pavel said in Prague: “Values won in this election – values such as truth, dignity, respect and humility.” The loser Babis admitted his defeat and stressed that he would continue to be there for the citizens as the leader of the opposition. “Nothing comes to an end,” said the native Slovakian.
From 2015 to 2018, Pavel became the first general from an eastern member state to chair the NATO military committee. During the election campaign, he promised to return “peace and order” to the Czech Republic. The Russian war against Ukraine became the dominant theme. Pavel campaigned for further support from Kiev. “Russia must lose in Ukraine – also with our help,” he stressed.
Generational and style changes could follow
Babis, on the other hand, tried to portray the former chief of staff as a warmonger. He called for talks with Moscow and announced that he would not send soldiers to help Poland in the event of an attack. The current loser in the election caused irritation at home and abroad.
Observers now expect not only a generation change, but also a change in style. Zeman often polarized with controversial statements about migrants, Muslims and the media. “My motto is: cooperation, decency and normal communication,” announced Pavel. And he emphasized: “I think that’s what we’ve been missing a lot in recent years.”
In the pre-election TV debates, Pavel appeared sober. As early as 1993, as a blue helmet soldier in the Yugoslav war, he proved that he doesn’t lose his cool in tricky situations. At the time, he led a volunteer commando that freed more than 50 trapped UN soldiers. The French had come under fire between enemy lines. Pavel later reported: “We kept a cool head and didn’t allow ourselves to be provoked.”