The retired general, former prime minister will fight in the second round of the Czech presidency

PRAGUE, 14 january (Reuters) – Retired general Petr Pavel held in the Czech Republic on Saturday the president former billionaire in the first round of elections Prime Minister Andrei Babis won by a narrow margin, providing a solid base for the second round in two weeks, showing almost complete results.

This task execution does not carry the power, but the prime ministers, central bank has important powers in appointing its leaders and nominating judges to the constitutional court. Presidents also have limited say in foreign policy and are commander-in-chief of the military.

The results of 99.99% of the voting precincts showed Pavel winning with 35.39% and Babis ahead with 35.00%.

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Reuters graphics

Both former Headquarters chief and NATOof military Pavel, chairman of the committee, also in 2017-2021 Prime Minister Babis, a former militant opposition leader, is likely to be more pro-Western than the outgoing incumbent Milos Zeman, who has promoted closer ties with China and last year of Ukraine until the invasion Russia.

61-year-old Pavel is decidedly pro-Western and will come to Ukraine military supports aid and the adoption of the euro.

Babis, who built a chemical, agricultural and media empire, now trust registered in the funds because it Europe It would be a smaller change, as Zeman shares a warm relationship with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, who opposes the rule of law with his union partners.

68-year-old Babis, formerly the Czech Republic, rather than Ukraine military spoke out against the provision of aid and said that he would try to organize a peace summit on Saturday. The current center-right government that decides these policies is among Kiev’s staunchest supporters in the West.

TOUGH SECOND ROUND FOR BABIES

Pavel targeted Babis, calling him a populist and a threat.

“The danger is that we will not only start to slide towards populism, but also start to turn away from the clearly democratic, pro-Western, pro-European course we have followed for the last 30 years,” he said.

Pollsters favored Pavel over Babis in the second round because he could attract more people who voted for the other six candidates who lost in the first round.

Economics professor Danuse Nerudova took the third place with 13.9% of votes. He admitted defeat and congratulated Pavel, saying that he would meet him to support him.

“There is still a big trouble here and it’s called Andrej Babis,” he told supporters and reporters.

Pavel was supported by the center-right Cabinet of Ministers, while Babis, whose ANO party is the largest in parliament, led the vote to the government’s top inflation and evaluated it as a demonstration of dissatisfaction with the reaction to energy prices.

Babis, who ran with the support of Zema, promised to put pressure on the Cabinet of Ministers to provide more assistance to households.

After the vote, Babis said, “Pavel would only fulfill the will of the government.” “This antisocial government wants to raise our taxes.”

Some voters resented the fact that the first-round winners were members of the Communist Party before its rule ended in 1989.

Babis worked in foreign trade and undercover during the communist era the police has been registered as an informant, which he denies. Pavel began his military career in the 1980s and underwent military intelligence training.

Babis attacked Pavel during training on Saturday, Russia’s Vladimir, the only intelligence officer in power during the communist era in Europe Putin he said it was.

Prime Minister while Babis, due to the subsidies paid to the Agrofert business empire in trust Europe He was found in a conflict of interest by the Commission. He was cleared this week of EU subsidy fraud.

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Reuters GraphicsReporting by Jan Lopatka; Added by Kuba Stezycki and Jiri Skacel report; Edited by Jonathan Oatis, Christina Fincher, and Mark Potter

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2023-01-15 06:31:42
Source – reuters

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