The presidency of the Czech Republic is a largely symbolic office, albeit one with significant symbolism. The first president, Václav Havel, was the preeminent leader of the Velvet Revolution which toppled the Communist system in Czechoslovakia in 1989. The office’s main responsibility is the appointment of judges to the Supreme and Constitutional Courts, subject to approval of the Senate. It also has limited legislative veto power, overruled by a simple majority. Since 2012, the position has been filled by direct election, so it’s a true representation of the will of the people at a given point in time.

The election in 2023 came down to a runoff between former prime minister Andrej Babiš and retired general Petr Pavel. Mr. Babiš is the leader of the ANO party which has a confusing reputation for both populism and centrism. In the context of this election, it was more important that Babiš is perceived as pro-Russia while his opponent is a former senior NATO commander. The results were telling.

With nearly all the votes counted, returns showed Pavel prevailing by the emphatic margin of 58.3% to 41.68%, the largest ever recorded in a Czech presidential poll and reflecting an advantage of more than 958,000 votes nationwide.

Pavel’s supporters immediately hailed the result as a victory for liberal democracy over oligarchic populism, which they believe Babiš represents…

…It also amounted to a humiliating rebuff for Slovak-born Babiš, 68, a billionaire tycoon who stood accused of running a shameless, scorched-earth campaign after portraying Pavel as a warmonger for his support of military aid to Ukraine. At one point, Babiš even appeared to question Nato’s collective security arrangements by saying he would never send Czech troops to Poland, a fellow member of the military alliance, if it was attacked by Russia.

Pavel will replace the outgoing incumbent Miloš Zeman who had an extreme pro-Russia position right up to the day that Vladimir Putin ordered the all-out invasion of Ukraine.

Quite unexpectedly, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shifted the position of Moscow’s most influential supporter in the Czech Republic: President Miloš Zeman, who has just described Moscow’s actions as a “crime”.

…President Miloš Zeman has long made his unwavering support for Moscow very public. This…collapsed on February 24, the day marking the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Zeman, who is known for keeping a long silence on divisive issues, made statements in a video that completely contradict his former position, apologized for being wrong and described Russia’s decision as a crime.

“I love Russian culture and I value the Russian victims of World War Two, but this does not mean that I will agree with the invasion of a foreign army on the territory of a sovereign state. Russia has thus committed a crime against peace…A few days ago, I said that the Russians are not crazy and will not attack Ukraine. I admit I was wrong.”

Thus, you can see that the results of the Czech presidential election are a clear reversal of fortune for Putin’s influence there, and also a clear indication of how the Czech electorate feels about the conflict on the border in Ukraine.

This isn’t some giant victory for truth and justice or some massive setback for the Kremlin, but it’s a positive result at a time when we don’t enjoy good news too often. Take a moment to celebrate it.