Former NATO commander wins presidential election in Czech Republic

Former NATO commander Petr Pavel won a second-round runoff election to become president of the Czech Republic on Saturday, beating former Prime Minister Andrej Babis with 58% of the vote to the latter’s 42%, the Czech Statistical Office suggests.

Pavel thanked voters for their support, declaring that so-called values such as truth, dignity, respect and humility have won in this election. He will take office in March 2023.

Pavel, touted those NATO credentials and pledged to restore western style integrity to the role of president, accusing his predecessor Milos Zeman of stretching the constitution quite a lot and bringing us to the brink with unwanted pro-China and pro-Russia policies.

The former NATO bigwig and his opponent were both members of the Communist Party prior to the end of its rule over the former Czechoslovakia.

However, Pavel’s training to become a NATO spy became a subject of controversy. He insisted he never got a chance to actually work in espionage.

Babis, a billionaire who was charged but acquitted of fraud charges earlier this month, had campaigned with the support of Zeman.

The outgoing president served for the legal maximum of two terms, defeating multiple impeachment attempts during his tenure, and urged caution regarding the conflict in Ukraine lest it expand into World War III.

While neither candidate secured a majority during the first round of voting, the other seven candidates rallied around Pavel after they were knocked out in the first round of voting.

Voter digital turnout reached a higher than usual 70%. While Babis and his family reportedly received death threats, Pavel was himself declared dead in a last-minute hoax for which his opponent’s campaign denied responsibility.

While the presidential role in the country is described as being largely ceremonial, the office is responsible for formally naming the government, picking the central bank governor and judges, and commanding the armed forces!

RT. com / ABC Flash Point News 2023.