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According to the results of the second round of the presidential elections in the Czech Republic, 61-year-old retired NATO General Petr Pavel wins. In politics, he is a relatively new face, because until 2018 he was engaged in a military career.
In the second round, Petr Pavel won, beating former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.Channel 24 has collected for you everything that is known about the new leader of the Czech Republic. Read more about Peter Pavel's military career, views and position on Russia.
From Platoon Leader to Head of the NATO Military Committee: Military Career Paul
Pyotr Pavel began his military career in 1983 as commander of a reconnaissance paratrooper platoon for special purposes, and after 2 years he became a company commander. In 1991, he began serving in Czech intelligence.
The military career of the future president developed rapidly, and in 2012 he headed the Czech General Staff. In 2014, the Czech government nominated him to head the NATO military committee. After that, he won the vote of the members of the Alliance and since 2015 received this position, replacing the Danish General Knud Bartels.
Paul's term as head of the NATO military committee ended in 2018. After that, he resigned from the army.
A new face in politics: Pavel as the main liberal of the Czech Republic
After completing his military career, Pavel began his political career, although at 90 He was a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. The prospects for the presidential candidacy of Peter Pavel were discussed as early as 2019.
During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Peter Pavel founded the Stronger Together initiative to help people involved in the fight against COVID-19.
In June 2022, Petr Pavel officially announced his intention to run for president, saying that he was striving to win so that the Czech Republic would not be ashamed of its leader. During the election campaign, the retired general stated that he wanted to return peace and order to the Czech Republic.Petr is a liberal in his views. He supports the right of LGBT people to marry, but he is more cautious about the adoption of children by them, saying that there are risks in everything.
The general also advocates replacing the Czech crown with the euro in the near future, however, he believes that this should happen when it is most beneficial for the Czech Republic.
Despite his liberal convictions, Petr Pavel is quite moderate and does not make too sharp or loud statements. This causes the popularity of the politician not only among liberal circles, but even among conservatives.
Pyotr Pavel and his position on the war in Ukraine
Petr Pavel takes a clear pro-Ukrainian position, especially on the issues of Russia's war with Ukraine. Moreover, the politician is convinced that Europe can do much more to support our state.Like all top NATO officials, Pavel also stated that the Czech Republic and other countries of the Alliance will not send their soldiers to Ukraine, because it would mean a direct clash with Russia. However, in the past, he allowed the creation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and the dispatch of a NATO peacekeeping contingent.
As for supporting Ukraine, according to Pavel, it is very valuable that Europe did not get scared in the face of a threat and did not allow Moscow to achieve its plans. At the same time, the general is convinced thatthe desire to avoid conflict on the part of the West can be regarded as weakness by Russia.
What is happening between Russia and the West does not concern not only Ukraine's membership in NATO, but also the future form of relations, the form of the global legal and financial system. Paul is convinced.
Pavel's opponent in the elections, Andrei Babish, accused the NATO general of trying to drag the Czech Republic into the war. The reason for this was criticism of the ex-premier because of his words that if Russia decides to attack Poland or the Baltic countries, which are NATO allies, he would not send Czech troops to help. Babish in criticism mentioned Pavel's contacts with the head of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov. The first conversation between Pavel and Gerasimov took place in March 2017. However, this contact did not give any result.
Pavel's attitude towards Russia, the Russians and their opposition
After reports of the victory of Peter Pavel, the Russian media immediately began to note that a “Russophobe” won the elections. The position of the new president of the Czech Republic on Russia is worth dwelling on separately, because it differs from the views of most European politicians.
In the West, dictator Vladimir Putin is often separated from the common people, but Pyotr Pavel thinks otherwise. In an interview with Politico, the politician said that in the near future Russia will not have democratic revolutions because of the Russians themselves. In addition, he does not consider Alexei Navalny an oppositionist.
There will be no democratic revolution in Russia in the near future. Not only because of the strength of the regime, but also because of the mentality of many Russians. There is no scope in Russia for the emergence of a genuine opposition movement. Even Alexei Navalny is not really a real opposition leader. He's definitely not a liberal democrat, he's just a different type of Russian nationalist. Although, of course, as a negotiating partner, he would be better than the current leadership,” Pavel emphasized. that it is against war. Among those who left Russia there are many young people who believe that Ukraine should be punished for something and support Putin. It's just that, according to Pavel, they are more afraid of their lives and do not want to fight themselves.
