As of: 01/14/2023 7:19 p.m
Ex-Prime Minister Babis and former NATO General Pavel are going into the runoff election for the Czech presidency. After counting most of the constituencies, both candidates were almost even in the first ballot.
In the struggle for the presidency in the Czech Republic, the populist ex-prime minister Andrej Babis and former NATO general Petr Pavel are in the runoff. After counting almost all votes, both were almost equal at around 35 percent. This emerges from the official data of the statistics authority CSU.
To win in the first round, one of the candidates would have had to get more than 50 percent of the votes. The only woman in the race finished third with just under 14 percent: economics professor Danuse Nerudova. A total of eight people applied.
Presidential election in the Czech Republic
Danko Handrick, ARD Prague, daily news at 6:50 p.m., January 14, 2023
Pavel expects a tough election campaign
Participation was around 68 percent of the 8.3 million eligible voters. Pavel expects a tough election campaign before the second round on January 27th and 28th. Babis doesn’t know how to play without fouls, the 61-year-old told his campaign team.
Babis presented himself as an advocate for those suffering from high inflation and energy prices. The 68-year-old was in one just a few days ago Trial about EU subsidies acquitted been. In a first reaction, he described his performance as “fantastic”.
Presidential candidate Pavel expects a tough election campaign before the runoff.
Image: EPA
Pavel referred to his experience as a former chairman of the NATO military committee – also against the background of the Russian war against Ukraine. Unlike Babis, the ex-general spoke out clearly in favor of further arms deliveries to Ukraine.
In the Czech Republic, the president has predominantly representative tasks, but is regarded as an influential opinion leader. He can also refer laws back to parliament once, appoints constitutional judges and is the supreme commander of the armed forces.