- In the election for the presidency in the Czech Republic, former Prime Minister Andrej Babis and former NATO General Petr Pavel have to go to the runoff.
- After counting all the votes, Babis got 35.0 percent of the votes, Pavel got 35.4 percent.
- Economics professor Danuse Nerudova came third with 13.9 percent.
Since none of the candidates reached the 50 percent hurdle, a runoff election is needed in two weeks. The turnout was 68.2 percent among the 8.3 million eligible voters, according to official data from the CSU statistics authority.
According to polls, Petr Pavel has an advantage over Andrei Babis in the second round, as supporters of the losing candidates are more likely to vote for him.
Economics professor Danuse Nerudova came in third. She admitted her defeat and announced that she wanted to meet Pavel and pledge her support. “There is still a lot of evil here and that means Andrei Babis,” she said in front of supporters.
Babis strives for higher orders
Andrej Babis, who headed the government from 2017 to the end of 2021, described his performance as “fantastic” in an initial reaction. At the same time, the Slovak-born accused his opponents of wanting to connect him with the former Soviet secret service, the KGB.
Babis presented himself as a representative of those suffering from high inflation and high energy prices. The 68-year-old was acquitted just a few days ago in a trial about EU subsidies. The billionaire has spoken out against further Ukraine aid. He is considered a friend of the EU-critical Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Pavel paints a bogeyman
Petr Pavel expects a tough election campaign before the run-off elections on January 27th and 28th: Babis doesn’t know how to play without fouls, he told his campaign team. He referred to his experience as a former chairman of the NATO military committee – also against the background of the war against Ukraine.
Legend:
Presidential candidate Petr Pavel, former chairman of the NATO military committee and former chief of staff of the Czech army, addresses supporters at his election headquarters in Prague.
Keystone/EPA, FILIP SINGER
Pavel, who is supported by the government, advocates military aid to Ukraine and the introduction of the euro. He described Babis as populists: “The danger is not only that we might slide into populism, but also leave the path that we have followed for the last 30 years, which was clearly pro-democratic, pro-Western and pro-European,” said Pavel.
Both Babis and Pavel are seen as more pro-Western than outgoing President Milos Zeman, who had advocated closer ties with China and, before the war in Ukraine, also with Russia.
Two different politicians are neck and neck today, says SRF correspondent Peter Balzli: “A non-party former NATO general or a billionaire and fan of Donald Trump who studied in Switzerland. One of them will become the new President of the Czech Republic.”
According to Balzli, the war in Ukraine could play a part in the runoff election. Because the NATO General Pavel is committed to further military aid for Ukraine. Former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, on the other hand, is strictly against it. “It should be a fiery second ballot in 14 days.”