Former Populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis and former general peter pavel They will face each other in the second and final round two weeks later. czech presidential electionAccording to the count, more than 99% of the votes were counted.
Pavel, 61, leads with 35.25% of supportduration Babis, 68, follows a short distance with 35.13%. Third place is economist. Danuse Nerudova, the only woman out of eight candidates To the President with 13.9%. Participation reached 68.2%well over 61% compared to five years ago.
An absolute majority, that is, more than half the votes, is required to qualify for this first round, and since no candidate has achieved this result, the two candidates with the most votes face each other in a second call in two weeks.
In particular, the two candidates with the most votes received more votes than expected. Babis, with 26% of the polls, is below Pavel with 29%..
Elections will replace the current head of state, a former social democrat Milos ZemanHis second and last five-year term expires in March. Became president with Zeman Its attacks on the press have sparked numerous controversies due to its proximity to Russia and China.despite moving away from Moscow after the Russian invasion of Ukraine last February.
8.4 million Czechs were called to vote During two election days, Friday and Saturday. The polling stations were open this Saturday from 08:00 to 14:00.
Pavel was a former head of the Armed Forces and was the first Eastern European general. chairman of the military committee NATOThe highest military position in the alliance.
Former general defended stability and corporate profile, campaign slogan “Let’s restore order and peace to the Czech Republic“and argued continue helping Ukraine To defend against Russian aggression and to protect the European unity against Moscow.
Without an official nominee, Pavel had his backing The main partner of the centre-right government coalition ‘Spolu’ (Together), of which he was also a part of the progressive Pirate Party.
“We must show the danger Babis can pose in the second round: populism and a shift from the democratic and pro-European line,” Pavel said at a press conference after the count began.
Babis had with the support of the liberal populist party ANO, the most important party of the opposition, as well as the outgoing president Zeman..
Last Tuesday, a court acquitted Babis of fraud with community funds, which gave him impetus in the final phase of the election. with everything, polls predict Pavel will win in the second roundbecause the majority of Nerudova and the other candidates’ voters support her against Babis, a very polarizing figure.
The president has legal immunity during his five-year term, and that will benefit that immunity. Facing other fraud investigations, Babis.
The former prime minister has a very loyal fan base, but his main problem in the runoff will be to attract voters to other candidates.