German media warn of Czechia’s eastern drift as Pavel urges voter turnout

Czech President Petr Pavel called on citizens on Tuesday to participate in this week’s elections to the Chamber of Deputies, stressing that abstaining allows others to decide the country’s course. German media, meanwhile, warned that a victory by opposition leader Andrej Babiš could move Czechia away from its pro-Western orientation.

“In three days, the elections to the Chamber of Deputies will be held. After four years, we will once again have the opportunity to decide which government will continue to lead this country. And I want to invite you all to the elections: please come to them,” Pavel said in his speech.

He urged voters not to dismiss the ballot as meaningless even if no party aligns perfectly with their views. “Some of you may feel that there is no one to vote for because you mind something or someone in every alternative. But the world is not ideal and we cannot expect a political party and politicians who will accommodate all of our ideas to exist here. They can only come as close to them as possible,” he said.

“I must strongly reject the words of some politicians that this year’s elections are to bring about a change in the system," Pavel also added. "Our democratic system is embedded in the Constitution. If anyone claims that it is to be removed after these elections, they have contempt for democracy and our constitution,” he said.

He also dismissed social media claims that the vote could be rigged or unfair.

“The election has not even taken place yet, but despite that, false reports are appearing on social media claiming that the election results will be rigged. They are often spread even by the candidates themselves, who are probably preparing their arguments in case they fail,” he said, adding that the process is overseen “under the direct supervision of hundreds of thousands of citizens who, in their spare time at the weekend, sit on the electoral commissions.”

In Berlin, several newspapers raised concerns about Czechia’s trajectory if Babiš’ ANO party wins the election and allies with far-right or Eurosceptic partners.

The Frankfurter Rundschau described Babiš as a “political chameleon” who is “neither so far right nor so far left, but rather a pragmatic populist.” It said that if ANO prevails, “only the parties from the fringes remain as coalition partners…for example, the Eurosceptic and left-wing radical Enough! and the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), considered neo-fascist.”

According to the newspaper, such a coalition would be a “disaster” for Brussels and Kyiv. It noted that Babiš has promised to cancel the Czech ammunition initiative that has already provided Ukraine with 3.5 million large-caliber shells.

The Sächsische Zeitung also cautioned that Czechia could shift course. “Whoever wins the election, the Czech Republic will be a difficult partner in the EU....in the case of an ANO-led government, it is possible that it [Czechia] will lean towards the ‘dissident countries’ of Hungary and Slovakia,” wrote longtime Prague correspondent Hans-Jörg Schmidt.

Public broadcaster Deutsche Welle highlighted Babiš’s controversies, citing years of reporting in Czech media on his “conflict of interest, suspected tax frauds and corruption affairs, influencing of media and his cooperation with the Czechoslovak communist intelligence in the past.” It compared him to “American President Donald Trump, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi or Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán,” while stressing that “he in fact is his own, Czech version of populism.”

Pavel underscored that the ballot comes at a time of instability in Europe. “We need a government that will protect our sovereignty in the community of democratic countries and not leave us at the mercy of Russia and its efforts to regain its sphere of influence in Central and Eastern Europe. This would have a major impact on our freedom, security and economic prosperity,” he said.

Voting for the general election takes place on Friday and Saturday this week.