Pro-western Petr Pavel sweeps to landslide win in race for Czech presidency

[blue-wave]

Source: The Guardian

Petr Pavel, a retired general and former senior Nato commander, has swept to the Czech presidency after a landslide victory over the former prime minister Andrej Babiš in an election overshadowed by rows over the war between Russia and Ukraine.

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.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/28/petr-pavel-wins-landslide-victory-in-czech-presidential-elections

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[DetlefK]

1. I bet all of eastern Europe is remembering the oppression of the Soviet years right now.

Russia has never understood what it was like for the other countries in the Soviet-Union: To be conquered and ruled by a totalitarian empire.

To this day, RUSSIA is mad at THOSE COUNTRIES for being "ungrateful" and becoming independent from Russia at the collapse of the Soviet-Union instead of happily staying under russian rule.



I have witnessed it first-hand: Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, there has been a resurgence of this cynical eastern-european soviet-era humor of being oppressed by a socialist/communist dictatorship.
The same kind of spiteful jokes about your socialist overlords. The same kind of silent anger against the Russians.

[apnu]

4. I think there is a difference between Russia and Putin

To this day, RUSSIA is mad at THOSE COUNTRIES for being "ungrateful" and becoming independent from Russia at the collapse of the Soviet-Union instead of happily staying under russian rule.

I think "RUSSIA" in that statement is actually "PUTIN". I believe Putin feels this, at least he says so in public. Putin's power base are all the old Soviet members (or family members) who are having a nostalgia trip, so they go along with him. Until they don't. Russia has always been run by oligarchs. Czars, Soviets, Putin -- all their power came from a collection of oligarch that didn't change much over the centuries. Had someone other than Putin, who is not a former Soviet spook, become leader of Russia all those years ago, none of this would be happening right now. Oligarchs would still be the power, but there would be no war in Ukraine and no ghost-of-the-USSR nonsense happening.

Your point is good. Putin/Russia's acts are reminding all the former Soviet controlled countries how bad it was and people are rightfully pushing back.

[Roy Rolling]

6. A minor but important distinction

In the 1980s before the collapse of the Soviet union, younger Russian people were wearing black market blue jeans and listening to acetates of Beatle records. They wanted to live a free life under the oppressive communist overlords at the time. Putin is the same kind of overlord destroying their freedoms and the people hate him. They’re just not mad enough to kill him yet.

Give it time.

Time heals all wounds and time wounds all heels.

[apnu]

7. ... but a a good distinction.

Yes, Putin hasn't hit the point of rejection. I suspect he's getting close. His war on Ukraine is not popular. When that unpopularity starts affecting the Oligarchs, Putin will be out.

[Igel]

9. I'll disagree.

Perhaps that's true for some, but I heard this years before Putin and from people that weren't esp. fond of Putin at first.

Russians died for those countries' freedom; Russians sacrificed their well being for those countries' prosperity. Russia spent a lot of money on a military that would protect those countries from western imperialism. Russia took those countries, destroyed by German fascism, and rebuilt them; took those backwards countries, and educated and civilized them.

If you were 30 in Russia in 1990, that's likely what you grew up believing and continued to believe, however ludicrous--controlled press means controlled press. If you believed what you heard after 1990, you could be any age.

[Lonestarblue]

5. I visited Hungary not too many years after the end of Communist rule.

Aside from the god-awful ugly buildings the Russians built, it was interesting to observe the people. Younger people in cafes were laughing and enjoying their time with friends. Older people rarely smiled or exhibited any joy, as if they were just waiting for the oppression to begin again. And, of course, Hungary suffered through oppression during WWII.

The other thing of note was that the Russians invested no money in maintaining the beautiful old structures that are part of the cultural heritage of Hungary. Particularly noticeable was St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Budapest, where decay was quite visible still because there was not enough money to repair everything at once.

This history of repression is why I do not understand why Hungarians put up with Orban. He’s little better than Putin, except he doesn’t regularly invade neighbor countries as Putin does.

[Lovie777]

2. I'll bet Putin is fuming....

the insecurity of this asshole is off the charts.

Again, the world is facing a mad man and his loudmouth allies, some of which are serving politically in the USA.

[ananda]

3. Some of which.. meaning Republicans.

Love the sarcastic understatement.

[liberalla]

8. Good news! I wish to congratulate the Czech Republic and Pres-Elect Pavel on his victory!

I see this as very positive and hopeful news. As a former NATO commander, this strengthens the NATO alliance.

[Cheezoholic]

10. Elections in Turkey are coming up late this Spring

Erdogan has silently and aggressively been working his power levers to silence the opposition. He would be term limited this year but for a shady referendum supposedly passed by voters in 2017 removing the two 5 year term limit. With an inflation rate 10 times ours lets hope the Turkish voters can follow Czech voters footsteps and rid themselves, and the world, of another dangerous self absorbed autocratic con-man.