Runoff election in the Czech Republic: who is moving to Prague Castle?

The two-day runoff election for the presidency begins in the Czech Republic. Two fundamentally different candidates meet: ex-NATO General Pavel meets ex-Prime Minister Babis. Who are the two and what do they stand for?

Until a few months ago, Petr Pavel was in demand in the Czech Republic when it came to explaining military crises or wars – for example the Russian attack on Ukraine. The retired general and former chairman of NATO’s military committee was also increasingly traded as a presidential candidate. He won the first ballot by a razor-thin margin over former Prime Minister Andrej Babis. The 61-year-old is now the favorite in the runoff election on Friday and Saturday. After 20 years with polarizing presidents, the career changer promises a new beginning – dignified, cosmopolitan and clearly western-oriented.

Babis: Entrepreneur and ex-Prime Minister

Babis presents himself as a fighter for the interests of the people. He describes his competitor as a “puppet” of the conservative-liberal five-party coalition. This had narrowly beaten the head of the largest opposition party ANO in the last parliamentary election and took over the government business from him.

The 68-year-old owns one of the largest companies in the country – the Agrofert group with around 250 companies in the chemical industry or food production and the MAFRA media group. For his critics, the “Czech Trump or Berlusconi” is a populist who primarily pursues his own interests and would lead the country towards Hungary. For his supporters, Babis is the only politician who is so rich that he doesn’t have to steal.

Babis and Pavel represent the two camps of the divided Czech society. However, their careers show similarities. Both adapted to communist times and worked their way up in their professional fields: Babis in foreign trade, Pavel in the military. Both have joined the party. Pavel began a military intelligence course, which he completed in the democratic Czech Republic.

In his Slovakian homeland, Babis is listed as an informal employee of the communist secret service. Here the similarities end: Babis, on the other hand, is suing in court, Pavel describes this part of his biography as a mistake that he is trying to make up for with his work after 1989.

Pavel wants to restore “peace and order”.

Ex-General Pavel has worked his way up to the highest military office in NATO as the first representative from the former Eastern Bloc. The officer’s son became a paratrooper and quickly rose in the military after reunification. He continued his education in Great Britain and fought in the Yugoslav war. French soldiers were freed under his command, for which he received medals in France.

As chief of staff, he led the Czech army for three years. The non-party Pavel advertises that “peace and order” should be restored. Socially, he is liberal, open to gay marriage, climate protection and further help for Ukraine. During the pandemic, he founded an initiative that supports corona helpers.

Corona crisis overslept?

According to many, as head of government, Babis overslept the Corona crisis. However, the economy grew and pensions rose. As the son of a foreign trade representative, he grew up in an international environment in Switzerland and France, among other places. He followed in his father’s footsteps and after the “Velvet Revolution” built up his Agrofert group from the state chemical company.

In 2011, Babis founded his protest party ANO – the “Action of Dissatisfied Citizens”, three years later he became finance minister. After all, he led a minority government with the Social Democrats for four years – tolerated by the Communists. His motto: “Help the people”.

fuss about Babis statement

In the election campaign, for the Orban admirer, that means above all helping the people in the Czech Republic more and the people in Ukraine less. Pavel wants to take the country to war as a soldier, he himself would convene a peace summit as president.

Babis says on a talk show that he doesn’t want to initially support NATO partners in Poland and the Baltic States in the event of an attack. He doesn’t send anyone to war, he wants peace. After an international outcry, he had to backtrack. But the damage to the image is there: While the rest of Europe was deciding on tank deliveries to Ukraine, Czech politicians had to declare that they would of course meet their military obligations – no matter under which president.