A trio of promising candidates are emerging ahead of the Czech presidential election. It consists of former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, General Petr Pavel and economist Danuše Nerudová.

Petr Pavel should say what he likes to bake and cook most. The wiry man with white hair and a trimmed beard, sitting on a stage in the Brno Philharmonic Hall, seems to have to think long about his answer for the first time. Pavel wants to become President of the Czech Republic, so the question asked by a young man from the audience is not exactly obvious. Finally, to the amusement of the audience, Pavel replies with a figure of speech that his wife is said to use about him and which is supposed to mean that he throws everything in one pot: “I cook like a dog with a cat.”

One could take this domestic digression as a sign that Pavel is not yet well-known among his audience, but is arousing curiosity. As a figure on the political field, he is a newcomer. He served in the Czechoslovakian and Czech armed forces for four decades and had a career as an officer that took him to the top of the General Staff and eventually to the chairmanship of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels. As a general, he was a personality that was also present in the media, a capital from which he would now also like to draw. In the summer he announced that he would like to run in the presidential election, the first round of which begins in two weeks.

A total of nine men and women are running to succeed Miloš Zeman, who after two terms in office is not allowed to run again. The polls have been choppy, but what is stable is that three candidates appear to have serious prospects of making it into the runoff, which is then held at the end of January. The leading trio consists of former prime minister Andrej Babiš, founder, financier and head of the ANO party, former rector of Mendel University Brno, Danuše Nerudová, and Pavel.

New survey sees Babiš only in third place

For a long time, Babiš, who has basically been running his campaign for a year, led the field; the only question seemed to be whether Pavel or Nerudová would win against him in the runoff. But now a survey has also been published, which sees Babiš only in third place. But in view of the fluctuations, the only thing that can be said seriously is that it should be exciting.

The office of the Czech President is above all representative, it is created for non-partisan father figures like Václav Havel. Last but not least, incumbent Zeman has shown that someone with a pronounced instinct for power can interpret the powers widely. In times of unclear majorities, he kept Babiš in office as prime minister even after a parliamentary vote of no confidence despite allegations of corruption.

The candidacy of multi-billionaire and former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is supported by incumbent Czech President Miloš Zeman.
The candidacy of multi-billionaire and former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is supported by incumbent Czech President Miloš Zeman. : Image: Picture Alliance
And he made personnel policy down to ambassadorial appointments. Although in poor health, Zeman has not lost his desire for power. Most recently, he publicly toyed with the idea of quickly appointing a new President of the Constitutional Court, although the incumbent’s time will not expire until Zeman has already left office. That would be a serious breach of the constitution, several of the presumptive successors fumed and announced that such an appointment, should it actually take place, would be declared invalid.

Zeman has not thought of staying out of the election campaign for his successor. He spoke out clearly for Babiš. Reason: Politics is something for professionals, not for career changers. Of course, the statements of the other applicants as to how they would like to hold their office also sound clear despite all the differences: the main thing is different from Zeman. Babiš, on the other hand, courts him as a great statesman.

In an interview, Nerudová described her vision for the future of the Czech Republic as a modern state with a friendly face for citizens, which does not complicate the situation for entrepreneurs and offers modern education. The economist spoke of social cohesion and sustainability. The head of state should actively introduce these issues and act as a moderator of the social discussion.

“Pan General” and the shadow of his past”

Pavel also speaks of impetus that the president could give to the public debate, although it sounds like he expects the government to respond to this. Otherwise, his message is: clear rules, order and reliability, education and upbringing – the general also takes a liberal stance on socio-political issues such as gay marriage.

Pavel needs clarification on one point, and he doesn’t wait to be asked about it. Right at the beginning of his appearance, he tells how, as the son of an officer, he joined the armed forces of the then communist state at the end of the 1970s. His parents were staunch communists, so he too joined the party and paid the dues as he was obligated to do. He lived in a bubble, he says, he only found out about the contradictions in the course of the 1980s and found the fall of the regime a relief. Pavel is proud that he made it into the elite squad of scouts. If he had joined the party out of careerism, he says, he would have landed a chair in the ministry.

Nevertheless, this is a sore point for Pavel, to which Nerudová also alludes: she is not carrying around an iron ball from the past. The audience at Pavel’s campaign event in Brno, which is well attended despite his team’s obvious organizational shortcomings, doesn’t seem to mind. The predominantly young people address him as “Pan (Mr.) General”. Pavel also tries to prove that he has no Stasi charges by being thoroughly screened for his work in NATO. Apart from that, his success in Brussels also shows that his political nature has not just awakened in him. Majorities also have to be organized for the chairmanship of the military committee, which he was the first former Eastern Bloc officer to achieve.