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On 27 and 28 January 2023, the second round of the presidential election in the Czech Republic took place. With almost 59 percent of the vote, former four-star general and independent candidate Petr Pavel won by a wide margin over former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO 2011, centre-right).
Pavel, a former NATO official, succeeds the populist Miloš Zeman as president, a position with limited executive power but real influence.Pavel has spoken out in favour of greater support for Ukraine, higher taxes on the rich, euthanasia and gay marriage - a controversial subject in Czech society.
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