The outgoing President of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman, reportedly told President-elect Petr Pavel that Andrej Babiš, the former Prime Minister and head of the ANO movement, lost the recent presidential election due to his own mistakes. Zeman, who had previously expressed support for Babiš and his ANO movement, stated that the winner of an election often praises their opponent to highlight their own strengths. However, he did not shy away from criticizing Babiš for making fundamental mistakes during the campaign.

Pavel won the presidential election convincingly over Babiš in the second round, receiving the most decisive mandate for a directly elected president in the country’s history. Babiš received significantly fewer votes than Pavel, and his campaign was marked by several missteps, including laughing at the possibility of his opponent’s coalition partner winning the election, and using billboards with slogans that frightened people of war.

During the campaign, Zeman mocked Babiš’s statement that he would not send troops to help Poland or the Baltic states in the event of an invasion. Zeman dismissed Babiš’s defense, stating that a similar hypothetical question about aid to Ukraine had become a reality. Babiš also faced criticism for encouraging people to bet on him before the election, with some reportedly losing significant sums of money.

Zeman’s meeting with Pavel was focused on the handover of the presidency, which is scheduled to take place in March. Pavel’s victory over Babiš suggests that the Czech people may have been dissatisfied with Babiš’s leadership and campaign, and that his mistakes may have cost him the election.

Article by Prague Forum