Former NATO general candidate is elected Czech president

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
28 Jan 19:38

Pavel who served as the chairman of the NATO military committee for three years was elected president after running on a pro-EU pro-NATO pro-Ukraine platform.

Presidential candidate Petr Pavel arrives to address media after announcement of the preliminary results for the first round of presidential election in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

The Czech Republic's presidential election was won on Saturday by former army chief Petr Pavel, whose campaign was defined by strong support for NATO, EU, and Ukraine.

Pavel, a 61-year-old retired general who had campaigned as an independent and gained the backing of the center-right government, replaced Milos Zeman as president of the central European republic.

Pavel enlisted in the military during the early Communist days of Czechoslovakia, received a French military cross for bravery during peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, rose through the ranks to command the Czech general staff, and for three years served as the chairman of the NATO military committee before retiring in 2018.

In a speech addressing his election headquarters at a Prague concert on Saturday, Pavel said "Values such as truth, dignity, respect, and humility won," Pavel told supporters and journalists. "I am convinced that these values are shared by the vast majority of us, it is worth us trying to make them part of our lives and also return them to the Prague Castle and our politics."

Despite conveying a message of unity and calm, the new Czech president is a staunch proponent of NATO warmongering against Russia via Ukraine.

It's worth noting that back in October, thousands of Czechs demonstrated in Prague, calling on the center-right administration to resign so that an early election could be held and demanding negotiations with Russia on gas supplies before the winter.