Czech presidential challenger looks ahead to runoff

(14 Jan 2023)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Prague - 14 January 2023
1. Wide of presidential candidate Petr Pavel arriving at his headquarters
2. Wide of Petr Pavel walking to lectern
3. Mid of Petr Pavel and his wife
4. Wide of journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Petr Pavel, presidential candidate:
"I am looking forward to the second round and I said before already - in case I advance to the second round with Andrej Babis - it would be a challenge. And I do like challenges."
6. Mid of journalists
7. Mid of Petr Pavel
8. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Petr Pavel, presidential candidate:
"The threat we face is that we could slip not only to populism, but also that we would deviate from the course that we have been following the last 30 years, which was clearly democratic, pro-western, pro-European, and that we could end up somewhere between the East and the West and become a country that is not taken seriously by its allies. That would harm us significantly. That is the greatest danger."
9. Mid of journalists
10. Mid of Pavel leaving
11. Various of journalists
STORYLINE:
The main challenger in Czech Republic's presidential elections announced Saturday he was "looking forward" to the second round of voting taking place.
"It would be a challenge. And I do like challenges," said retired army Gen. Petr Pavel.
Pavel is the key rival to populist billionaire Andrej Babis, where both candidates were running neck and neck on Saturday, according to almost full results.
Babis, a former prime minister was narrowly leading with 35.7% of the vote with the ballots from 95% polling stations counted, the Czech Statistics Office said.
Pavel was second with 34.7 %.
Another challenger, economist Danuse Nerudova was third with 13.9%.
If no candidate achieves a majority, the top two finishers, possibly Babis and Pavel, will face each other in a runoff in two weeks’ time.
The Czechs are picking a successor to Milos Zeman in the largely ceremonial post, with Babis leading a field of eight candidates after a two-day vote that was completed Saturday.
Babis was acquitted this week in a fraud trial, which boosted his chances of winning in the first round.
A court in Prague acquitted Babis, 68, on Monday of fraud charges in a $2 million case involving European Union subsidies.
The prosecution can still appeal.
Babis had pleaded not guilty and repeatedly said the charges against him were politically motivated.
Despite a number of scandals, his popular support remains strong, particularly among older voters.
Polls predicted that Pavel, 61, a former chairman of NATO’s military committee; and former university rector Nerudova, 44, would be Babis' main opponents.
Polls indicate that none of the remaining candidates are likely to make the runoff.
Babis, whose centrist ANO (YES) movement ended up in opposition after losing the 2021 general election, is supported by Zeman, with whom he shares eurosceptic views and the habit of using anti-migrant rhetoric.
Zeman was the first president elected by popular vote. His second and final five-year term expires in March.
Lawmakers elected the previous two presidents, Vaclav Havel and Vaclav Klaus.
Voting in the Czech presidential election at the Czech Embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, had to be interrupted for an hour because of a Russian missile attack earlier on Saturday, the Czech Foreign Ministry said.
AP video shot by Jan Gebert.
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