President Pavel will not vote in local elections in Czechia

Czech President Petr Pavel has not changed his decision to skip voting in the municipal elections taking place on Friday and Saturday: his spokesman Daniel Drake confirmed on Wednesday that the decision “still stands.”

Pavel left for Morocco on Friday to take part in a rally race. Prague Castle attributed his absence from the vote to a scheduling mistake in planning his travel itinerary rather than a deliberate decision to skip the election. According to the President’s Office, Pavel himself regrets what happened.

Despite this, the president has faced sharp criticism from politicians and experts. Taťána Malá, chair of the ANO parliamentary caucus, said in a Sunday discussion on CNN Prima News: “This is carelessness and disrespect for the election. Life is about priorities, and the president has shown his.” Opposition politicians were no less blunt.

Under the original plan, Pavel is not due back at work until Monday, 19 October. Normally the president would vote in the village of Černouček in the Litoměřice region, where he and the first lady are permanently registered. In the settlement of around three hundred people, candidates from two lists are competing for seats on the local council.

It remains unclear whether the first lady, Eva Pavlová, will vote. On Tuesday she publicly defended her husband, saying the state is making a mistake by not allowing citizens to vote from abroad.

Read also: Czech residence registration for foreigners: deadlines, documents, landlord refusal

Source: novinky.cz