- Ex-Nato general takes 57.6% of vote, initial results show.
- Election follows ill-tempered campaign marred by alleged death threats and disinformation.
- Mr Babis served as prime minister between 2017 and 2021.
Petr Pavel, a retired NATO commander, defeated populist Andrej Babis to become the new president of the Czech Republic.
According to preliminary data made available by the state statistics office, the 61-year-old received 57.6% of the vote.
Shortly after the results were released, Mr. Babis—who was prime minister from 2017 to 2021—admitted defeat in a speech to his supporters.
The second term of Milos Zeman, who will be replaced by the ex-general, expires in March.
Mr. Babis and Mr. Pavel’s second-round runoff was presented as a conflict between populist oligarchy and liberal democracy.
The results of the elections come after a divisive campaign marked by alleged threats to kill and false information.
Earlier this week, Mr. Pavel was compelled to use Twitter to refute rumors that he had passed away that had been spread via a phony website and emails that were stored on a Yandex server in Russia.
Mr. Babis, who recently canceled all of his remaining in-person campaign appearances out of concern for his safety after receiving an anonymous death threat, denounced the misinformation.
After the results were made public on Saturday, Mr. Pavel stated that qualities like honesty, decency, respect, and humility had triumphed.
It’s time to bring back these ideals to the castle and to politics because the vast majority of Czechs share them, he continued.
A deliberate echo of the cries of “Havel na Hrad” that filled the streets and squares of Czechoslovakia in November 1989, there were thunderous chanting of “Pavel na Hrad” (Pavel to the Castle).
Indeed, Mr. Pavel, a steadfast supporter of the Czech Republic’s NATO and EU membership, has frequently cited the memory of Vaclav Havel, the playwright and dissident who became the country’s first president following the Velvet Revolution against communist oppression.
And his win will be interpreted as confirmation of his nation’s deep Western roots.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, congratulated Mr. Pavel and said she appreciated his “strong dedication to our European principles.”
Other international leaders have also congratulated the newly elected president on social media, including Kosovo’s president Vjosa Osmani and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Within a few hours of the results being released, Zuzana Caputova, the president of Slovakia and a fellow liberal, pro-Western politician, made an unexpected appearance on stage with Mr. Pavel.
Other international leaders have also congratulated the newly elected president on social media, including Kosovo’s president Vjosa Osmani and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Within a few hours of the results being released, Zuzana Caputova, the president of Slovakia and a fellow liberal, pro-Western politician, made an unexpected appearance on stage with Mr. Pavel.
The crowd of Mr. Pavel’s fans, many of whom were wearing the flannel shirts that have come to represent his campaign informally, gave him thunderous ovation.
Although there were smiles at the ANO offices across town—the political party Mr. Babis founded—it was clear that they were disappointed.
“I want a world without Babis for you. Leave Babis behind. Try not to miss Babis, “the former prime minister remarked to reporters, taking a swipe at his numerous Twitter detractors.
He congratulated his opponent and refuted accusations that he had ran a hostile campaign before saying, “Stop getting up in the morning with anger for Babis and falling asleep with hatred towards Babis.”
Mr. Pavel has come out strongly in favor of additional military assistance for Ukraine to fight against Russia’s incursion and has favored keeping the Czech Republic firmly rooted in the European Union and NATO.
In contrast, Mr. Babis was compelled to retract earlier this week after he implied that he would not uphold the nation’s duty to defend a fellow Nato member in the event of an assault.
During a discussion that was broadcast, Mr. Babis declared, “I want peace; I don’t want war.” I would never send our children or the children of our ladies to battle, he said.
The president of the Czech Republic is a largely ceremonial but nevertheless significant position. The presidents decide on the leaders of the central bank and the prime ministers, and they also have a say in foreign policy.
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