Czech presidential election: Andrej Babis and Petr Pavel will face each other in the second round

The second round of the Czech presidential election is due to take place on January 27 and 28.

Here in Pruhonice, January 13.

AP - Petr David Josek

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

Retired general Petr Pavel came out on top in the first round of the Czech presidential election this Saturday, January 14, ahead of billionaire Andrej Babis by a few thousand votes, who wants to assert his experience in politics after several years at the head of the government.

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With our correspondent in Prague,

Petr Pavel

, former chairman of NATO's Military Committee, won 35.4% of the vote, just ahead of Andrej Babis (35%), ex-Prime Minister accused of being a populist, after counting 99.7% of the vote.

The retired general highlighted his service in the army during the campaign, in particular his participation in the rescue of around fifty French soldiers in the former Yugoslavia.

For his part, Andrej Babis refused, with some exceptions, to participate in the televised debates and wanted to show his experience on the international scene, in particular by highlighting his meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.

He criticizes the government's inefficiency in fighting inflation and other economic consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Both in their sixties, the candidates also have in common their membership of

before its fall in 1989.

A second round that promises to be tight

The campaign for the second round promises to be tough, with a former head of government who has the means to match his ambitions.

Andrej Babis is the country's fifth-richest man and the agro-industrial group he founded also has a media arm.

He enjoys the support of outgoing President Milos Zeman, while Petr Pavel has already received that of the majority of eliminated candidates – including Danuse Nerudova (third with 13.92% of the vote) – and of the current centre-right government.

Polling institutes credit Petr Pavel with a slight lead over Andrej Babis in the second round, which is due to take place in two weeks, on January 27 and 28.

► To read also: Czech presidential election: Emmanuel Macron's welcome to Andrej Babis arouses controversy

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