President Petr Pavel will run for re-election if he feels he has sufficient support and interest in his re-election, and unless his health or that of someone in his family prevents it, he told reporters during a visit to Prostejov today.
Pavel was elected president in direct elections in January 2023, defeating ANO chairman Andrej Babis, the current prime minister, in the runoff vote. He has been serving his five-year term since his inauguration in March 2023. Based on the constitution, no one can be elected more than twice in a row.
“The reason why I would definitely not go into something like this is more due to fundamental health reasons of my own or in my family, which would prevent me from running again,” said the president. “But of course, it also depends on the situation in our country at that time. I certainly don’t want to be so arrogant as to think that in two years’ time I will have the same support I have today. And if there is interest and sufficient support, then of course it is appropriate to consider it.”
The question of whether Pavel, 64, will be defending his presidential mandate was raised on Thursday by a participant in a public discussion meeting in Hranice, near Olomouc, where the packed auditorium repeatedly expressed their support for Pavel. “I’m not ruling it out,” the President said at the time.
On Thursday, he was also asked about a possible second term by members of the Olomouc City Council.
“I did not go into this with the ambition to serve two terms. I wanted to offer my service and an alternative in hope that during those five years, someone would emerge whom I myself would like to support and vote for. My ambition was to bring a few topics to the divided and fragmented society on which we could agree,” Pavel said in response.
According to an October survey by the STEM/MARK agency, 58% of people would vote or might vote for Pavel as president. Of the 40 names of public figures offered, 45% would choose actor and presenter Marek Eben, who has long ruled out running, and 40% would choose current Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO). According to the survey, the ideal future president should be politically experienced, assertive, pro-Western, and non-partisan. The importance of the office of president in people’s perception has grown since the spring, the survey found.
