The first round took place on 13 and 14 January. Petr Pavel, former chair of the NATO Military Committee, ran as an independent on a pro-Western, pro-European platform,[1] and was one of three candidates backed by the centre-right governing alliance Spolu.[2] He won the first round of the election with 35.40% of the popular vote, ahead of Andrej Babiš, the former Czech prime minister running as the candidate of ANO 2011, who finished second with 34.99%.[3] Babiš had expressed opposition to Czech support for Ukraine after the Russian invasion and was characterised in the media as using populist rhetoric.[4][5] For the runoff, Pavel was backed by most eliminated candidates and by the incumbent prime minister Petr Fiala, while Babiš received an endorsement from the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia[6] and the outgoing president Zeman.[7]
The second round was held on 27 and 28 January. Pavel won the runoff against Babiš with 58.33% of the vote to become the Czech Republic president-elect. He assumed office on 9 March 2023, replacing Zeman.[8][9] Babiš conceded defeat and congratulated Pavel.[10] Voter turnout in the second round was a little above 70%, the highest in a direct Czech presidential election and the highest in any national Czech election since 1998.[11]
The campaign was widely described in the media as divisive. The outcome of the election was viewed as a sign of support for the West in the context of the War in Ukraine,[12] and is expected to strengthen Czech ties with the European Union and the United States.[13]