General Petr Pavel is elected President of the Czech Republic

420on.cz: Czech television announced that the former chairman of the NATO Military Committee, retired General Petr Pavel, has been elected president of the country.

Today he won the second round of elections against former Prime Minister Andrei Babish.

Now the election commission is counting the last votes, but Babish will no longer be able to catch up with Pavel. After counting the data at 90% of the polling stations, Pavel received 57.1% of the votes, and his opponent - 42.9%.

Peter Pavel gained political weight against the background of the conflict in Ukraine. He made a serious and respectful impression on the citizens of the Czech Republic. They liked the candidate's stingy speech and his stately bearing.

He stands for the energy independence of the Czech Republic from Russia and supports Ukraine.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has already congratulated Petr Pavel on his victory. And the speaker of the parliament, Marketa Pekarova-Adamova, announced on television that the inauguration will take place in Prague Castle on March 9.

Retired army general and former chairman of the NATO Military committee, Peter Pavel, was Andrei Babish's main rival in the presidential election. Pavel is united with Babish by his former membership in the Communist Party of the Czech Republic, which the ex-military does not hide at all. The self-nominated candidate supports the republic's course towards the West and the strengthening of cooperation within the framework of the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance under the slogan of his presidential campaign "Let's return order and peace to the Czech Republic."

Military career of General Pyotr Pavel

In 1983, after graduating from military school, Pavel joined the paratroopers. He spoke fluent English, which helped him not only to study in foreign schools, but also to take important military positions in the post-Soviet era.

Among other things, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he was part of the Czech peacekeeping mission as part of UNPROFOR in Croatia, where in January 1993 he took part in an operation to rescue fifty French soldiers. Subsequently, Pavel was awarded the French Cross of Military Valor with a bronze star. In addition, he was awarded the state award of the Czech Republic — the medal "For Heroism". 

The greatest success came at the very end of his career. Pavel received the post of chairman of the NATO Military Committee in 2015. He became the highest military representative and chief adviser to the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance. In June 2018, Pavel was replaced in this post by Marshal of the British Air Force Stuart Peach.