Czechs voted on Friday and Saturday to pick a new president, with a retired general who served in a high NATO post and a combative former prime minister leading the field of candidates to replace retiring political veteran Milos Zeman.
The post does not carry executive authority but has significant powers in appointing prime ministers, central bank chiefs and nominating judges for the constitutional court. Presidents also have a limited say in foreign affairs and are chief army commanders.
Pavel, 61, and Nerudova, 44, are strongly pro-Western and support further military aid for Ukraine as well as adoption of the euro. They would not have decision-making power in those affairs but could set the agenda in public and political consultations. The current centre-right government which decides that policy is among Kyiv's staunchest supporters in the West.
Voter Filip Jurak said Pavel was the only choice for him. "He speaks well, he has experience from the international scene," Jurak said, preparing to vote in a Prague school. "He is the most suitable candidate for this representative function."
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