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Retired army general, Petr Pavel, has been elected the next president of Czechia. Mr. Pavel won the runoff against former prime minister Andrej Babiš, by the biggest margin ever in the history of Czech presidential elections. With  all votes counted, Petr Pavel got over 58.3 percent of the vote, his contestant received 41.6 percent.

General Pavel, whose election motto was “order and stability” received strong backing from the unsuccessful contenders in the first round of elections held a fortnight ago. He also received support from Prime Minister Petr Fiala and the leaders of the other parties in the ruling coalition.

Mr. Pavel will succeed the incumbent president, Miloš Zeman, and become the fourth president of Czechia. He is the second head of state to have been elected by popular vote.

Voter turnout in the second round of elections reached a record high at just over 70 percent.

The second round of voting was preceded by an aggressive and emotionally charged election campaign, which the prime minister described as “the worst in the country’s modern history”. He said he was greatly looking forward to cooperating with Petr Pavel and stressed the need for the newly-elected president to diffuse the tension and unite the nation.

Early reports from polling stations indicate a record turnout of around 70 percent in the second round of presidential elections. The turnout in the first round reached 68.2. The higher turnout in the second round is attributed to the aggressive and emotionally charged campaign which Prime Minister Petr Fiala described as “the worst in the country’s modern history”.

Prague City Hall has made a bid for Jindřišska Tower in the city centre, which the Prague Archbishopric has put up for sale for 75 million crowns, Jan Chabr, Prague city councilor for property, told Czech Radio. Some 30 other bidders have also shown an interest in acquiring the property. The tower is part of the historic core of the city which is on the UNESCO list of cultural and natural heritage. The 15th century building is almost 66 metres high and is equipped with an elevator. The ten floors of the tower house a restaurant, souvenir shop, café, gallery and a permanent exhibition. The tower is also used for cultural programs, exhibitions and theatre performances and concerts. The belfry, with its bell Maria from 1518, offers a panoramic view of the Prague skyline.

A number of Czech websites were hacked on the first day of voting in the second round of presidential elections, the ctk news agency reported. The attacks are believed to have been the work of the Russian  No Name 057 group. Among the sites hit were the website of presidential candidate Petr Pavel and that of the Czech Foreign Ministry. Security experts say the attacks may continue over the weekend, targeting websites reporting on the election results.