Retired NATO general Petr Pavel wins Czech presidential vote

(ANSA-AFP) - PRAGUE, 28 GEN - Retired NATO general Petr Pavel beat billionaire former prime minister Andrej Babis in a presidential election run-off Saturday, interim results showed.

Pavel, a former paratrooper, won 56.76 percent of votes while Babis scored 43.23 percent, with over 85 percent of the vote counted, according to the Czech Statistical Office. Turnout in the EU and NATO member country of 10.5 million people was unusually high at 70 percent following an acrimonious campaign marked by controversy, death threats and a brazen hoax. The 61-year-old Pavel will replace President Milos Zeman, an outspoken and divisive politician who fostered close ties with Moscow before making a U-turn when Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Pavel already beat Babis in the first round two weeks ago, scoring 35.4 percent against 35 percent for the former prime minister. (ANSA-AFP).

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