Former NATO general swears in as Czech president

A former NATO general was sworn in as the Czech Republic’s new president, marking the replacement of a divisive leader who promoted closer relations with China with one championing firmer transatlantic ties.

Petr Pavel, who once served as the highest-ranking military officer in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, formally took his oath of office in a ceremony at Prague Castle on March 9, per Bloomberg.

He is the fourth head of state of the nation of 10.5 million since it split from Slovakia in 1993 after the fall of communism.

His inauguration marks a political shift at the top of Czech politics following the decade-long tenure of Milos Zeman, who antagonized European Union allies with support for Beijing and — until he invaded Ukraine — Vladimir Putin.

A political newcomer, Pavel secured a decisive victory in January over former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, a populist who fended off accusations of corruption and courted controversy with polarizing statements. Pavel promised to return the office to the European mainstream — and to be a less confrontational figure compared with his predecessor.  

Pavel’s backing of the country’s euro adoption also stands out among decision-makers, who mostly consider the common European currency a risk to the export-oriented $300 billion economy.

The Czech president holds a largely ceremonial post, leaving most political decisions with the government under Prime Minister Petr Fiala. But the head of state still has a way of forming a cabinet and appointing central bankers and judges.  

A staunch supporter of Ukraine, Pavel said the only limit to weapons deliveries should be nuclear arms, he told Bloomberg Television in an interview last month.

He also said the EU should approach an increasingly assertive China in sober terms and not be “pushed.” He had drawn a stiff rebuke from Beijing after holding a phone conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen days after his election.