He said he wants to continue visiting the regions, open Prague Castle to the public, and return transparent communication to the Presidential Office. Photo credit: Petr Pavel, via Facebook.
Prague, March 9 (CTK) – New Czech President Petr Pavel will soon release a plan of specific goals for his first 100 days in office, he said after taking the presidential oath in the Vladislav Hall at Prague Castle today.
He noted that he would not be comfortable with a “100-day defence” after assuming the post, but would rather be criticised for being too active at the start of this term.
He said he wants to continue visiting the regions, open Prague Castle to the public, and return transparent communication to the Presidential Office. He will support measures to improve the public finances even if they may sometimes be painful.
He said the hardest part of the presidential role was where his powers end, adding that he was ready to explain and communicate all his actions.
Pavel said he would keep visiting the regions in order to see the main problems for himself, and listen to those who feel unheard.
“I will search for solutions together with experts, the government and the parliament,” he said.
Pavel said that lowering inflation and the state budget deficit were important, and he would support measures to enable this. However, he said he considered solidarity the sign of a developed society.
He noted that systemic problems, such as the current tax and pension system, would have to be fixed, and that help would have to be directed towards the most vulnerable.
A unanimous European voice will be important to help Ukraine win, he said, noting that Czech history should be one of the reasons for the Czech Republic to continue helping Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion.
He also said he would like to improve the reputation of the Czech Republic abroad.
Pavel said that in his view, Czech society is not split, but rather is used to emphasising those things which divide it. He said that instead, he would highlight the things that unite people, adding that many people in each region have a clear idea of how to push the country forward, but are limited by prejudice, lack of courage, and unnecessary bureaucracy.
He said the election result showed that Czechs preferred truth and decency over hateful attacks and perversion of facts.
He said that the Czech Republic had shown what it was capable of during its presidency of the EU in 2022.
“Let us be active, and we shall transfer that to other areas as well, such as to NATO and the UN. Let us not wait until the bigger states come with a solution. Where is it written that only the biggest countries are more sensible and capable?” Pavel said.
In his speech. Pavel also repeated that he wanted to return dignity, respect, and decency to his country, along with other values that have been neglected in the past, when success became the main criterion for assessing the quality of people and their actions.
He said he was speaking both to those who gave him their votes in the election and those who voted for his opponents. “Together we face the same problems and only together we can also deal with them successfully,” he said.
He mentioned that populists who base their success and influence on lies, manipulation and fear-mongering have gained opportunities recently, and said that neither he nor his team have ever taken such steps.
After the inauguration, Pavel and his wife Eva made an appearance on a balcony overlooking one of the Prague Castle courtyards, where Pavel addressed his supporters.
