Czechs voted on Friday and Saturday to pick a new president, with a retired general who served in a high NATO post and a combative former prime minister leading the field of candidates to replace retiring political veteran Milos Zeman.
The post does not carry executive authority but has significant powers in appointing prime ministers, central bank chiefs and nominating judges for the constitutional court. Presidents also have a limited say in foreign affairs and are chief army commanders.
Any of top three candidates - retired General Petr Pavel, opposition leader Andrej Babis who was prime minister in 2017-2021, and economics professor Danuse Nerudova -- would likely be more pro-Western than Zeman, who promoted tighter ties with China and, until the full invasion of Ukraine last year, Russia.
Pavel, 61, and Nerudova, 44, are strongly pro-Western and support further military aid for Ukraine as well as adoption of the euro. They would not have decision-making power in those affairs but could set the agenda in public and political consultations.
Billionaire businessman Babis would be a smaller change as he shares Zeman's warm relations with Hungary's Viktor Orban, who has been at odds with European Union partners over rule of law. Babis has also spoken against more Czech military aid for Ukraine.
The current centre-right government which decides that policy is among Kyiv's staunchest supporters in the West.
Pavel and Babis each led two of the final opinion polls, making them the main candidates to qualify for an expected run-off round in two weeks.
Reuters
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