The Czech Republic determined the participants of the second round of the presidential election – the ex -Prime Minister, billionaire Andrei Babish and former head of the NATO Military Committee, Peter Pavel, will fight for the post of head of state, Czech TV reports.
They significantly ahead of the remaining candidates in the number of votes in the first round. So, Babish secured the support of 37.22% of voters. Peter Pavel received 33.25% of the vote. The turnout amounted to 67.38%. The final voting results are expected over the next hours.
The IDNES portal with reference to the Czech statistical management writes that it is already clear that the second round of voting will be required to determine the winner. It is scheduled for January 27-28. According to forecasts, Pavel has more significant chances to win. Most of the supporters of six candidates for presidents will probably vote for him who could not enlist the necessary support for voters and go to the second round of elections.
Peter Pavel – a liberal and an absolutely pro -European politician who considers the membership of the Czech Republic in NATO and the European Union necessary, inevitable and profitable. Paul speaks the Russian language, he began to serve even during the Warsaw Treaty, participated in negotiations with Russia, when he was the head of the NATO military committee in 2015-2018, and he formed a well-defined, skeptical view of Russia, writes BBC.
“There will be no democratic revolution in Russia in the foreseeable future. Not only because of the strength of the regime, but also because of the mentality of many Russians, Pavel said in an interview with Politico. – There is no space in Russia for the emergence of a real opposition movement . Even Alexey Navalny is actually not a real opposition leader. He is definitely not a liberal democrat, he is just a different type of Russian nationalist. “
General Paul is cautiously looking at the Russians running from the mobilization. “… These Russians still believe that Ukraine needs to be punished, they simply do not want the general public to be attracted to this,” Pavel said in the same interview Politico. “These young people running from the country are worried about their lives, and they worry This does not mean that they are against the war. I am sure that many of them still support Putin’s nationalist policy. “
billionaire and Prime Minister of the Czech Republic in 2017-2021, 68-year-old Andrei Babish was often called the informal ally of Milos Zeman. Four days before the election, fate made Babish a gift: the Prague court justified him in the case of alleged fraud with European subsidies.