Czech presidential election: Babis likens rival to Putin after first-round defeat

Former Czech Prime Minister, Andrej Babiš, intensified the presidential election discourse by likening his opponent, Gen Petr Pavel, to Russian President Vladimir Putin. This came after Babiš’s unexpected defeat in the first round of polls. The final results revealed that Pavel, an ex-army chief of staff and former NATO military chair, narrowly led with 35.4% against Babiš’s 34.99%. The two contenders are now set for a decisive face-off on 27-28 January to determine the successor to the current Czech President, Miloš Zeman.

Although the gap between the two leading candidates was minimal, Babiš, a billionaire with significant media influence, faces a challenging path ahead. This challenge was accentuated when Danuše Nerudová, the sole female contender who secured third place, along with Pavel Fischer and Marek Hilšer, endorsed Pavel after their respective defeats.

Babiš’s post-results commentary was marked by sharp criticism of Pavel, focusing on his previous association with the Communist party and his training in military intelligence prior to the 1989 velvet revolution. Babiš drew parallels between Pavel and Putin, referencing their backgrounds in intelligence. He also hinted at potential smear campaigns against him, including manipulated photographs and allegations tying him to the KGB.

However, Babiš’s accusations were met with skepticism, especially given his documented ties to the StB, the communist-era secret police. Jiří Pehe, a political analyst, opined that Babiš’s strategy might be to dissuade liberal supporters of Pavel-endorsing candidates from voting in the second round. Pehe further predicted that Pavel has a strong chance of victory in the upcoming round.

For more details on this development, visit The Guardian.