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Former NATO general Pavel elected president of Czech Republic

Former NATO Military Committee chairman Petr Pavel (R) was elected the new president of the Czech Republic on Saturday, defeating former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis (L). Photo by Martin Divisek/EPA-EFE
Former NATO Military Committee chairman Petr Pavel (R) was elected the new president of the Czech Republic on Saturday, defeating former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis (L). Photo by Martin Divisek/EPA-EFE

Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Former army general and NATO officer Petr Pavel was elected as the new president of the Czech Republic on Saturday after the results of a runoff election were counted.

Pavel received 57.6% of the vote while his rival, former prime minister Andrej Babiš, totaled just over 42%, with more than 99% of all ballots counted.

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The second term of the country's current president, Miloš Zeman, wraps up in early March.

Pavel, 61, is a retired NATO general, having previously served as chairman of the organization's military committee -- its highest-ranking military member.

"I'm confident that what we have in common is much more than the divisions," Pavel said Saturday in Prague after declaring victory.

"I would like to thank those who voted for me and also those who did not but came to the polls, because they made it clear they honored democracy and cared about this country. I can see that values such as truth, dignity, respect and humility have won in this election."

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In the Czech Republic, the president serves as the commander in chief of the armed forces, while also appointing judges, ministers and he head of the country's central bank.

Pavel's election slogan was "order and stability." The former general told reporters while casting his own ballot he wanted to be a "dignified president" for the country.

Pavel, who has never held political office, is a vocal supporter of Ukraine in its ongoing fight against Russia's occupation and his victory is seen as a sign of the nation's ongoing tilt toward the West and the European Union.

The election pitted Babis, a 68-year-old billionaire media mogul who campaigned as a populist, against Pavel in a hotly contested battle for the leadership that was marked by misinformation and death threats.

Earlier this week, Pavel was forced to refute his own death after he was targeted by a fake email campaign and his website was hacked, while an anonymous death threat forced Babis to abruptly halt all campaign appearances over fears for his personal safety.

Babis served as the prime minister from 2017 until he was voted out of office in 2021.

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