Status: 09.03.2023 4:54 p.m
Czech Republic’s new President Pavel has been sworn in. He wants to quickly visit all neighboring countries and announces further support for Ukraine. He only wants to move into his official residence once he has been checked for eavesdropping devices.
Former NATO general Petr Pavel is the new president of the Czech Republic. The 61-year-old was sworn in as head of state in a joint session of the two chambers of parliament in Prague Castle. A 21-gun salute was then fired.
Unlike his predecessor Milos Zeman, Pavel stands for a pro-European and pro-Western course. In his inaugural speech, Pavel pledged further support to Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia. It is important that Central Europe speaks with one voice here. “In the end, we’re helping ourselves,” said Pavel, who headed the NATO military committee as a general from 2015 to 2018.
He recalled the Czech Republic’s own experiences when Warsaw Pact troops invaded what was then Czechoslovakia in 1968 and crushed the “Prague Spring”. The last Soviet soldiers left the country in 1991.
gesture to neighboring countries
Within the first 100 days in office he wants to visit all neighboring countries, starting in Slovakia, Pavel announced. He is also planning a trip to Kiev with its president Zuzana Caputova in April. Domestically, in his speech he campaigned for solidarity with the weakest in society and announced that he wanted to stand up for values such as dignity, decency and respect.
As president, Pavel’s duties are primarily representative, but he is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces and appoints the government. He can refer new laws back to Parliament once. In the run-off election at the end of January, he clearly beat his populist competitor Andrej Babis with 58.3 percent.
He intends to move into his official seat at Prague Castle later – before that, the building should be thoroughly examined for hidden listening devices, Pavel told a Czech news magazine. Until then, he will continue to work in his previous office.