The Czech Republic has a new president: former NATO general Petr Pavel was sworn in as head of state on Thursday. The 61-year-old took the oath of office in a joint session of both chambers of parliament at Prague Castle.
Many people watched the ceremony on outdoor screens. In the second round of the elections at the end of January, the career changer in politics clearly defeated the populist ex-premier Andrej Babis with 58.3 percent of the vote.
Pavel takes over from predecessor Milos Zeman (78). Between 2015 and 2018, he headed the NATO Military Committee as a general. He represents a pro-European and pro-Western change of direction for the head of state. Zeman had advocated rapprochement with China – and, up to the war in Ukraine, also with Russia.
In the Czech Republic, the president has mainly representative duties. But he is also the commander in chief of the armed forces and appoints the government. The term of office is five years. The Czech Republic is a member of both NATO and the EU. It has about 10.5 million inhabitants.
(yan/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
On the same day of the terrorist attack on the Krokus City Hall in Moscow,…
class="sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc">1/4Residents of Tenerife have had enough of noisy and dirty tourists.It's too loud, the…
class="sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc">1/7Packing his things in Munich in the summer: Thomas Tuchel.After just over a year,…
At least seven people have been killed and 57 injured in severe earthquakes in the…
The American space agency NASA would establish a uniform lunar time on behalf of the…
class="sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc">1/8Bode Obwegeser was surprised by the earthquake while he was sleeping. “It was a…