Retired general Petr Pavel won the first round of the presidential election in the Czech Republic by a narrow margin on Saturday January 14, beating billionaire and former Prime Minister Andrej Babis.

The results after counting 99.7% of the votes show that Petr Pavel obtained 35.4% of the vote, against 35% for Andrej Babis.

Both Petr Pavel, who held a high-ranking position in NATO, and Andrej Babis, who served as prime minister from 2017 to 2021, should pursue a pro-Western policy, unlike outgoing president Milos Zeman. who has sought, for much of his two five-year terms, to build closer ties with China and Russia. 

Petr Pavel criticized Andrej Babis, believing he was a populist and posed a threat.

"The danger is that we not only slide into populism, but deviate from the path we have followed for 30 years. A path clearly in favor of democracy, the West and Europe ", he said.

Polling institutes credit Petr Pavel with a slight lead over Andrej Babis in the second round.

The former general should, according to all expectations, benefit from a greater number of carryover votes than his competitor.

Danuse Nerudova, a 44-year-old economics professor who came third in the first round of the presidential election with 13.9% of the vote, congratulated Petr Pavel and offered her support.

The second round of the presidential election is due to take place in two weeks.

Restore the dignity of office

Business tycoon and former prime minister Andrej Babis, 68, is the fifth richest person in the Czech Republic, according to Forbes magazine.

Paratrooper, Petr Pavel, 61, became known for having rescued French soldiers besieged by the Serbs during the war in Bosnia in 1993.

Voting in his native village of Cernoucek, north of Prague, Petr Pavel said the main objective was to restore the dignity of the presidential office after Milos 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. 

Andrej Babis, who voted in Pruhonice, south of Prague, said he relied on his political experience to lead him to victory. 

"I know most of the presidents. And my advantage is that I know what all the ministries are dealing with," he added. 

Polls suggested before the election that Petr Pavel would beat Andrej Babis if he faced him in the second round.

"More diplomatic" than the outgoing president

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, and serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

But Milos Zeman, a controversial politician who once confessed to drinking six glasses of wine and three glasses of hard liquor daily, has repeatedly exploited loopholes in the constitution to increase his influence. 

After a busy Friday at the polls, Saturday was much quieter, with a few dog walkers or shoppers showing up at a school in central Prague. 

Prague resident Anna Nina Schumannova said she expected the new president "to be more diplomatic" than Milos Zeman.

"He or she should be reliable, think of all people, make our country prosper and develop, ensure peace and make our children happy," she told AFP.

With AFP and Reuters

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